tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27747784351030379362024-03-19T09:15:43.926+11:00VITAL NEWS AUSTRALIA.Vital News Australia is a news network focused on providing independent and uncompromising journalism.
We won't blindly follow wire services or official press releases that attempt to set the news agenda. We will cover the big stories of the day, but we will broaden the definition of what's important.Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.comBlogger653125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-80594257721736088702020-01-04T11:16:00.000+11:002020-01-04T11:16:42.976+11:00Helping Aussies during the bushfire crisis PLEASE DONATE! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Please show your support by donating any amount you can manage .. Thanks in advance .. <a href="http://gf.me/u/w9umnb">gf.me/u/w9umnb</a></span><br />
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Whilst we sit and watch so many lives being torn apart by these recent catastrophic bushfires in our nation we couldn't sit and do nothing so we are raising money for these Aussie families who have lost everything or have been displaced, our aim is to hopefully make rebuilding their lives a lot much easier by supplying funds for numerous items like food clothing and shelter or any other important necessities they may require .. No words can describe the horror and then heartache these bushfires have caused so many families and at a time that should be the merry season these families that have lost everything have nothing to be merry about so we're hoping to change that for them and do some of the hard work ahead for them.. It's the least we can do as a nation who prouds themselves on coming together when times get tough.. It's the Australian spirit so let's all dig deep for these broken families and our wonderful fire-fighters who have been relentlessly and tirelessly given up their lives to make others safe. So far nearly over 1000 houses have been destroyed so that's alot of displaced families that have lost everything due to these terrible wildfires. <br /><br />Thank you for your help in advance and let's get this fund-raiser rolling already.. Stay strong everyone.. All Donations will be split equally and forwarded to the Australian Red Cross bushfire appeal who are directly involved as we speak and the Local RFS units which consist of Hill End RFS ,Sofala RFS, Wattle Flat RFS, Hargraves RFS and so on there are to many to name but they all need our support as they have been working tirelessly to control these wild fires and save peoples lives and homes all donors and the public will receive constant updates as to where funds are being distributed.. Thankyou<br /><br />FYI: WE ARE A REGISTERED RED CROSS FUND-RAISER PLEASE ASK US FOR OUR LETTER OF AUTHORISATION FROM THE AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS ORGANISATION.. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS or REQUESTS PLEASE CONTACT US @ : vna.contactus@gmail.com<br /><br />Major Fire Updates<br />During times of major incident activity, such as during bush and grass fires where there is a threat to the community, updates are posted here.<br /><br />Outside of these periods, check our Fires Near Me page for information on incidents in your area. For information on planned hazard reduction activities, check our Hazard Reductions page.<br /><br />If you see a fire without a fire truck in attendance, please call Triple Zero (000).<br /><br />Remember - every home should have a bush fire survival plan. Download yours today.<br /><a href="https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fires-near-me">https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fires-near-me</a><br /><br /><img alt="44430840_1577941507163083_r.jpeg" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/44430840_1577941507163083_r.jpeg" width="100%" /><br /><br /><img alt="44430840_1577941409934139_r.jpeg" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/44430840_1577941409934139_r.jpeg" width="100%" /><br /><br /><br /><img alt="44430840_1577862994463832_r.jpeg" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/44430840_1577862994463832_r.jpeg" width="100%" /><br /><img alt="44430840_1577863014904638_r.jpeg" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/44430840_1577863014904638_r.jpeg" width="100%" /><img alt="44430840_1577863199319057_r.jpeg" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/44430840_1577863199319057_r.jpeg" width="100%" /><br />
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Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-3274426552907070452015-04-14T21:02:00.001+10:002015-04-14T21:02:05.371+10:00City of Greater Dandenong’s hijab push backfires<img alt="City of Greater Dandenong Council suffered a massive backlash after the Herald Sun reveal" src="http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2015/04/13/1227302/634409-6aed45c6-e1bf-11e4-b60a-424ceb2f883c.jpg" /><br /><span style="background-color: #f8f8f5; color: #666666; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">City of Greater Dandenong Council suffered a massive backlash after the </span><i style="background-color: #f8f8f5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding-right: 2px;">Herald Sun</i><span style="background-color: #f8f8f5; color: #666666; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: #f8f8f5; color: #666666; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">revealed the hijab “social experiment” last week. Picture: Chris Eastman</span><br /><br />
<div class="story-intro" style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: inherit;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A LOCAL councillor has suggested that residents be encouraged to wear a crucifix for three hours to acknowledge Christianity.</strong></div></div><div style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: 10px;">Greater Dandenong’s Cr Maria Sampey made the comment following a backlash against the<a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/debate-over-councils-non-muslim-hijab-move/story-fni0fit3-1227297709927" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #484f54; text-decoration: none;">council’s “social experiment”</a> to encourage non-Muslim women to wear the hijab for three hours last week.</div><div style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: 10px;">Fifteen women took up the invitation on Friday under a Youth Week initiative that included girls from a local Islamic school staffing an information table.</div><div style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: 10px;">Cr Sampey said that councillors were not warned of the event and she was abused by residents after the Herald Sun reported the story.</div><div style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: 10px;">“The question that’s been asked of me is, what activity is now going to take place as a means of promoting Christianity,” she told a council meeting on Monday night.</div><div style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: 10px;">“Maybe people should be wearing a cross for three hours signifying Jesus Christ,” he said.</div><div style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: 10px;">“We’ve got a lot of Indians wearing turbans and stuff like that and we’re representative of all groups that live in our city.”</div><div style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: 10px;">Cr Sampey said she disagreed with the hijab experiment and believed councillors should be informed about such activities in advance.</div><div style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: 10px;">But Greater Dandenong Mayor Cr Sean O’Reilly said that due to “practicalities and efficient operation”, councillors didn’t sign off on the detail of every program that staff implemented.</div><div style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: 10px;">“Council is not oblivious to views in the community and will consider community feedback in the design and implementation of future programs,” he said.</div><div style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: 10px;">Cr O’Reilly said the council had attracted significant commentary and media interest in the hijab experiment, which he described as “a small activity”.</div><div style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: 10px;">“The intention of this activity in Youth Week was to set up a table and promote discussion of why women wear the hijab,” he said.</div><div style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: 10px;">The mayor said that local youth faced many challenges and it was council’s role to help them express themselves, explore ideas and grow in confidence.</div><div style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: 10px;">The suggestion was aimed at providing “awareness, insight and education”, but detractors labelled it divisive and political correctness gone mad.</div><div style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: 10px;">Local Christian pastor and Rise Up Australia Party leader Danny Nalliah, who took part in last week’s Reclaim Australia rally, described the hijab event as the height of stupidity.</div><div style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: 10px;">“I challenge the Greater Dandenong Council to call on the Muslim women to get rid of their hijabs for one week and assimilate into Australian way of life,” he said.</div><a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/city-of-greater-dandenongs-hijab-push-backfires/story-fni0fit3-1227302639652">Dandenong council hijab, crucifix push to honour multicultural city | Herald Sun</a>: <br /><br />
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<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pengoopmcjnbflcjbmoeodbmoflcgjlk" style="font-size: 13px;">'via Blog this'</a>Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-47238811054198339452014-03-18T19:52:00.001+11:002014-03-18T19:55:28.740+11:00Jail Craig Thomson over HSU credit card misuse, prosecution argues<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">PROSECUTORS have called for former Labor MP Craig Thomson to be sent to prison, saying he has shown no remorse for stealing the money of Health Services Union members to pay for prostitutes and other personal expenses.</strong></div>
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Victorian prosecutor Lesley Taylor SC today told the Melbourne Magistrates Court that Thomson’s actions and persistent denial of his crimes were “arrogant in the extreme”.</div>
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“He has uttered not one single word of remorse,” she said. “He has said basically that others committed the physical acts.”</div>
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Thomson, 49, has been convicted of at least 65 theft and dishonesty offences from his time leading the HSU, when he used union-issued credit cards to withdraw thousands of dollars in cash and charge escort services back to the union.</div>
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Making submissions on his pending sentence today, his barrister Greg James QC that Thomson was confronted by “moments of need or desire” during his time as HSU national secretary, when his relationship with his then wife was breaking down.</div>
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“What appeared to have happened was a response by him to his own impulses on a more or less opportunistic basis,” Mr James said.</div>
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“He sought comfort elsewhere.</div>
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“The climate (at the HSU) appeared to be that if he hadn’t spent the money on prostitutes and pornographic movies then there was unlikely to have been concern.</div>
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“It doesn’t aggravate the offence that he spent the money on prostitutes. It may not be socially acceptable to many (but) it is a lawful area of expenditure according to the law in Australia now.”</div>
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Thomson is facing the prospect of up to five years in prison, though the court heard he had already agreed to pay $24,538.42 in compensation for his actions.</div>
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Mr James said Thomson had taken out a mortgage to pay the compensation and intended to pay it within three months.</div>
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He said Thomson had lost every prospect of a career in politics or public life, and suffered from anxiety as a result of his humiliating downfall.</div>
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“From the very moment of his arrest on, he was very publicly pilloried,” Mr James said.</div>
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Magistrate Charlie Rozencwajg last month found Thomson guilty on charges of obtaining financial advantage by deception and theft, ruling Thomson had used HSU credit cards to pay prostitutes more than $5500, withdraw more than $6000 in cash and pay for his wife’s travel expenses.</div>
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He also found Thomson had spent $1981 of union money after he had taken his seat in parliament.</div>
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Thomson’s former HSU colleague Michael Willamson is already in custody as he awaits sentencing for fraud charges related to his corrupt dealings while president of the Health Services Union East Branch.</div>
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Williamson, who pleaded guilty to four charges, has agreed to owing the HSU $5 million based on his fraudulent behaviour but has filed for bankruptcy and is not expected to pay back any of the funds.</div>
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The HSU is one of five trade unions which will face particular scrutiny during the royal commission into union corruption, due to begin next month.</div>
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The hearing continues.</div>
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Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-40260765673328574622013-08-05T18:10:00.002+10:002013-08-05T18:10:33.123+10:00SEPTEMBER 07 NO MORE KEVIN ! VOTE THE MONGRELS OUT.. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-65942794133712874932013-08-05T17:47:00.001+10:002013-08-05T17:47:36.476+10:00Kevin Rudd support takes a hit<iframe frameborder="0" height="365" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://video.news.com.au/embed/2399442443/Election-all-about-trust-says-Rudd?player=narrow" width="330"><p><a href="http://video.news.com.au/2399442443/Election-all-about-trust-says-Rudd">VIDEO: Election all about trust, says Rudd</a></p></iframe><br />
<div class="story-intro" style="border: 0px; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
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</strong></div><div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">VOTER support for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has slumped, according to a poll published hours after he named a date for the federal election.</strong></div></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr Rudd claimed underdog status on Sunday as he announced Australians would go to the polls on September 7 and according to the latest Newspoll, he could be right.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.news.com.au/news/special-features/election-day-one-rudds-campaign-hindered-by-poor-newspoll-result/story-fnho52jp-1226691170836" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); color: #0373b3; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">MORE ON THE POLL PLUS LATEST UPDATES IN OUR ELECTION 2013 ROLLING COVERAGE: CLICK HERE</a></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The poll, conducted this weekend and published in part by News Limited late on Sunday, shows that although Mr Rudd is still more popular than Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, his support as preferred prime minister is at its lowest.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Voter satisfaction with Mr Rudd dropped four percentage points in the past two weeks from 42 per cent to 38 per cent and dissatisfaction jumped six points from 41 per cent to 47 per cent.<br />
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<div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The survey found voter support for Labor had fallen one percentage point in the last fortnight to 37 per cent, compared to the coalition's 44 per cent.</div><div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">On a two-party preferred basis, the coalition has kept its lead of 52 per cent to Labor's 48 per cent.</div><div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Support for the Greens is down one point to nine per cent, compared to 11.8 per cent at the last election.</div></div><br />
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/national-news/federal-election/kevin-rudd-support-takes-a-hit-newspoll/story-fnho52ip-1226691124876">Kevin Rudd support takes a hit: Newspoll</a>Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-91257489175014859422013-08-05T08:29:00.001+10:002013-08-05T08:29:09.898+10:00WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange 'proud' of Australia's support<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; text-align: left;">WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sits inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London</span></td></tr>
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</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">CANBERRA, Australia -- WikiLeaks founder and Australian Senate candidate Julian Assange says he is proud of the level of support he enjoys in his home country and has pledged to enforce transparency in Parliament if he wins a seat in elections in September.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"When you turn a bright light on, the cockroaches scuttle away, and that's what we need to do to Canberra," the Australian capital, Assange told Nine Network television in an interview filmed in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London and broadcast in Australia on Sunday.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In a separate interview at the embassy, where he has taken refuge for more than a year, the 42-year-old fugitive told Ten Network that his popularity demonstrated by a recent opinion poll reflected poorly on the ruling Labor Party.</div><span style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span> <div style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The centre-left government staunchly supports the U.S. condemnation of WikiLeaks' disclosure of hundreds of thousands of classified documents.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A national survey by Sydney-based UMR Research, a company that Labor relies on for its own internal polling, found in April that 26 per cent of Australian voters said they were likely to vote for Assange or other candidates running for his WikiLeaks Party in national elections, which Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced Sunday would be held Sept. 7.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"I'm obviously proud of that, but it's also something extremely interesting about the Australian people and about what is happening and the perceptions of what is happening in Canberra," Assange told Ten.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Assange did not favour conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott, whom opinion polls suggest will likely be the next prime minister. Assange told Nine that Abbott as head of government "wouldn't be good for anyone."</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">UMR managing director John Utting told Fairfax Media in April said that the poll showed WikiLeaks had "a good chance" of winning seats if Assange runs a clever campaign. A Senate seat can be won with as little as 17 per cent of the vote within a state.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The online survey of 1,000 voters had a 3 percentage point margin of error.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A poll published by The Monthly website in June conducted by Melbourne-based Roy Morgan Research found 21 per cent of voters would consider voting for Assange's WikiLeaks Party, with support greater among women (23 per cent to 20). The poll, taken June 4-6, was based on a telephone survey of 546 voters. No margin of error was published.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Assange has been campaigning by Skype from a room in the embassy, where he was granted asylum in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden on sex crime allegations.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">He is one of three WikiLeaks Party Senate candidates in Victoria state. The party, which was registered by the Australian Electoral Commission only last month, will also field candidates in New South Wales and Western Australia states.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Assange argues his extradition to Sweden is merely a first step in efforts to move him to the United States, where he has infuriated officials by publishing secret documents, including 250,000 State Department cables. U.S. Army soldier Bradley Manning has admitted passing those documents to WikiLeaks. Manning faces up to 136 years in prison after being convicted of leaking classified information to the anti-secrecy group while working as an intelligence analyst in Iraq in 2010.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Australian government has echoed U.S. condemnations of Assange's publishing, but also says he has not broken any Australian laws.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If Assange wins the election, he would be required to take up his Senate seat on July 1, 2014.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">WikiLeaks Party national council member Sam Castro said that if Assange wins a seat but cannot return to Australia by then, the party can choose a replacement.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Assange spent almost two years fighting extradition over alleged 2010 assaults on two Swedish women, which he denies. In June 2012, Britain's Supreme Court ruled against him, prompting his asylum bid with Ecuador, whose leftist government had expressed support.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Assange told Australia's The Conversation website in February that he regards his bid to become a senator as a defence against potential criminal prosecution. He said that if he wins a Senate seat, the U.S. Department of Justice would drop its espionage investigation rather than risk a diplomatic row.</div><br />
<a href="http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-proud-of-australia-s-support-1.1397476">WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange 'proud' of Australia's support</a><br />
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Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-56473609655068826262013-08-04T22:21:00.000+10:002013-08-04T22:21:08.409+10:00HANGOUT WITH JULIAN ASSANGE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zZ0qEpb89MM/Uf5FrDHYBhI/AAAAAAAAB8o/BZEfRo9LGEo/s1600/Assange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zZ0qEpb89MM/Uf5FrDHYBhI/AAAAAAAAB8o/BZEfRo9LGEo/s1600/Assange.jpg" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, speaking from the Ecuadorean embassy in London, invites readers to join him online to discuss the big issues.</span><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Julian Assange: 'To build properly, sometimes it is necessary to sw</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">eep aside the old, corrupt foundations.'<br /><br />Welcome to the Fairfax Media Election Hangout, where you can spar with politicians and debate the policies that will determine this year's closely-fought poll.<br /><br />Streamed live across Fairfax Media's news websites and hosted by Online Political Editor Tim Lester, you can ask the questions live on Google's Hangout on Air.<br /><br />First up is Julian Assange, Wikileaks founder and Victorian senate candidate, on Wednesday August 7 at 12.30pm.<br /><br />If you want to participate, email us @ nationaltimes@fairfaxmedia.com.au with a question you'd like to ask of Mr Assange. We'll select our participants and email you back by Monday lunch time if you are successful.<br /><br /><br /><br /></span></div>
Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-75392603764422578672013-03-26T22:08:00.001+11:002013-03-26T22:12:33.385+11:00Meanwhile, Julia Gillard was campaigning for the Senate. Or working at Slater and Gordon. Or doing the weeding. Or helping Bruce sell Kerr Street or something. - @mpsmithnews<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Do other countries have this drama with their Prime Minister?</div>
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Slater and Gordon is on the record - "In September 1995 Ms Gillard took a leave of absence from Slater & Gordon in order to campaign for the Senate".</div>
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Remember Slater and Gordon made that statement on Sunday, 19 August, 2012. Julia Gillard needed a cover story and Slater and Gordon delivered one. </div>
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Peter Gordon and Nick Styant Browne are in accord that Gillard elected to resign after her disciplinary hearing on 11 September, 1995 - and not "in order to campaign for the Senate".</div>
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On 15 October, 1995 Ebru Yaman's <a href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017ee94a11fc970d-pi" style="color: #005599;" target="_self">article about Gillard appeared in The Australian newspaper.</a> Gillard said, "I'm still a partner with Slater and Gordon and I have no intention of leaving".</div>
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<a href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017c381cc103970b-pi" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="339" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LvGr22H6kPI/UVGAor2kJqI/AAAAAAAAB58/0yOHXOlVS-k/s640/6a0177444b0c2e970d017c381cc103970b.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Right, so the version for the archives says she started with Brumby in 1995 (while she was campaigning for the Senate). And according to The Australian she was still with Slater and Gordon as a partner and had no intention of leaving.</div>
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This bio is similar from the APH handbook</div>
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<a class="asset-img-link" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017d424be316970c-pi" style="color: #005599; display: inline;"><img alt="Gillard parliamentary handbook" border="0" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a0177444b0c2e970d017d424be316970c" src="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017d424be316970c-800wi" style="border: 0px;" title="Gillard parliamentary handbook" /></a><br />
And this one is from the APH website</div>
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<a class="asset-img-link" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017d424be43e970c-pi" style="color: #005599; display: inline;"><img alt="Gillard aph website" border="0" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a0177444b0c2e970d017d424be43e970c image-full" src="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017d424be43e970c-800wi" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; width: 550px;" title="Gillard aph website" /></a><br />
Right. Not campaigning for the Senate. Working for Brumby in 1995. Except that's bulltish too, she started in May, 1996. </div>
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So maybe she'd tell the Young Lawyer magazine the truth - as an example to say aspiring women who might be looking for a role model.</div>
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Nope - that's full of bulltish too. This photo predates botox.</div>
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<a class="asset-img-link" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017c381d16a0970b-pi" style="color: #005599; display: inline;"><img alt="Gillard law journal before ravages of age" border="0" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a0177444b0c2e970d017c381d16a0970b image-full" height="621" src="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017c381d16a0970b-800wi" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; width: 550px;" title="Gillard law journal before ravages of age" width="640" /></a><br />
For sheer lying chutzpah, how's this exposition of the pain of making that decision to leave Slater and Gordon to campaign for the Senate, or to run Brumby's office or to watch Oprah.</div>
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<a class="asset-img-link" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017d424c3c11970c-pi" style="color: #005599; display: inline;"><img alt="When I first left Slater and gordon" border="0" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a0177444b0c2e970d017d424c3c11970c" height="640" src="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017d424c3c11970c-800wi" style="border: 0px;" title="When I first left Slater and gordon" width="611" /></a><br />
CEOs who lie like this in their CVs generally get picked up. Surely to God someone in the Labor Party checked and saw that she had something to hide!</div>
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<a href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2013/03/meanwhile-julia-gillard-was-campaigning-for-the-senate-or-working-at-slater-and-gordon-or-doing-the-.html">Meanwhile, Julia Gillard was campaigning for the Senate. Or working at Slater and Gordon. Or doing the weeding. Or helping Bruce sell Kerr Street or something</a><a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pengoopmcjnbflcjbmoeodbmoflcgjlk" style="font-size: 13px;">'</a></div>
Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-87075658129425329192013-03-26T21:45:00.001+11:002013-03-26T21:45:26.325+11:00How did Ms Gillard get away with it for so long! How come no one called her out, it's so obvious.@mpsmithnews <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZH9gqKzjrrA/UVF7Jqy3OBI/AAAAAAAAB5c/pzD0lo7sC_E/s1600/images+(20).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZH9gqKzjrrA/UVF7Jqy3OBI/AAAAAAAAB5c/pzD0lo7sC_E/s400/images+(20).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<h3 class="entry-header" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 35px 10px; padding: 0px;"><br />
</h3><div class="entry-content" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 35px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 10px; position: static;"><div class="entry-body" style="clear: both;"><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Last week we spoke about the weekend of 18/19 August 2012 when Hedley Thomas published the Slater and Gordon/Gillard record of interview, Paul Kelly and Peter Van Onselen hosted Ms Gillard on Australian Agenda on Sky - and then Slater and Gordon staff concocted a manifestly dubious media statement to advance Ms Gillard's personal interests.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">With her background of bulltish that weekend should have been it and it may well have been if Slater and Gordon's current management had not been so helpful with the media statement.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Here are the links to last week's posts:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2013/03/what-slater-and-gordon-says-is-a-matter-for-slater-and-gordon-and-julia-gillards-former-flatmate-jul.html">http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2013/03/what-slater-and-gordon-says-is-a-matter-for-slater-and-gordon-and-julia-gillards-former-flatmate-jul.html</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2013/03/gillards-co-ordinated-activity-with-slater-and-gordon-to-concoct-a-false-statement-made-to-her-benef.html">http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2013/03/gillards-co-ordinated-activity-with-slater-and-gordon-to-concoct-a-false-statement-made-to-her-benef.html</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2013/03/slater-and-gordon-response-regarding-its-media-statement-of-20-august-2012.html">http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2013/03/slater-and-gordon-response-regarding-its-media-statement-of-20-august-2012.html</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">So our last public correspondence with Slater and Gordon last week ended like this:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><br />
</div><div><blockquote style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px 25px; padding: 5px 10px;"><strong>And finally, is the Slater and Gordon statement that Julia Gillard "took a leave of absence in order to campaign for the Senate" in 1995 a true statement?</strong></blockquote></div><div><blockquote style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px 25px; padding: 5px 10px;">Yes.</blockquote></div><div><blockquote style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px 25px; padding: 5px 10px;">Regards<span style="font-size: 14px;"> </span></blockquote></div><div><blockquote style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px 25px; padding: 5px 10px;">Hamish</blockquote></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f7Mckq58ci8/UVF7Ltla90I/AAAAAAAAB5s/0sFFXeTjB0k/s1600/4812407856_794ce87269_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f7Mckq58ci8/UVF7Ltla90I/AAAAAAAAB5s/0sFFXeTjB0k/s320/4812407856_794ce87269_z.jpg" width="226" /></a> <strong style="font-size: 14px;">Hamish Heard</strong></div><div><blockquote style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px 25px; padding: 5px 10px;">Senior Media Advisor <strong>SLATER & GORDON LAWYERS</strong>485 La Trobe St, Melbourne VIC 3000T: <a href="http://www.slatergordon.com.au/" style="color: #005599;" target="_blank">slatergordon.com.au</a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SlaterGordonAU" style="color: #005599;" target="_blank">facebook.com/SlaterGordonAU</a> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/SlaterGordon" style="color: #005599;" target="_blank">twitter.com/SlaterGordon</a></blockquote></div><div><blockquote style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px 25px; padding: 5px 10px;"><strong>ENDS</strong></blockquote></div><div>I followed that email with this note to Slater and Gordon</div><div><blockquote style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px 25px; padding: 5px 10px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Hamish,</span></blockquote></div><div><blockquote style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px 25px; padding: 5px 10px;"><div>Thank you for your speedy response.</div><div>May I try to clear up Slater and Gordon's official position on the substantive reason for Ms Gillard leaving the firm?</div><div>In late 1995, had Ms Gillard's <strong>"<em>relationship with the equity partnership group become fractured, and trust and confidence evaporated" </em></strong>making it untenable that she continue in her employment?</div><div>Was the firm <em>"<strong>concerned as to whether (Ms Gillard) had acted consistently with (her) obligations of utmost good faith with regard to her partners" </strong></em>and was her resignation accepted in those circumstances?</div><div>Did the partnership <strong>"</strong><em><strong>consider terminating Ms Gillard"</strong> </em>and in those circumstances did<em> <strong>"</strong><strong>Ms Gillard elect to resign" </strong></em>and did the partnership<em><strong> "accept her resignation without discussion"?</strong></em></div><div><em><strong><br />
</strong></em></div><div>Was it <strong>"<em>clear that </em></strong><em><strong> the relationships had broken down irretrievably"</strong> </em>between Ms Gillard and the remaining partners in the partnership<em>?</em></div><div><em><br />
</em></div><div>Slater and Gordon's public statement of 20 August, 2012 gives the impression that the substantive underlying reason for Ms Gillard's absence from the firm from September 1995 was "in order (for her) to campaign for the Senate". Is that the major contributing reason for Julia Gillard's absence from the firm from September, 1995?</div><div><em><br />
</em></div><div>Finally, is Slater and Gordon aware of any reason, order or agreement of any nature that would restrict Ms Gillard from practicing as a lawyer at any time in Victoria?</div><div><strong>ENDS</strong></div></blockquote></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y0D70hPWNwM/UVF7Jpktn4I/AAAAAAAAB5g/XukyP6Dmkdg/s1600/67268_463809507006546_2017844083_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y0D70hPWNwM/UVF7Jpktn4I/AAAAAAAAB5g/XukyP6Dmkdg/s320/67268_463809507006546_2017844083_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Now here is some news! As you know I was crook late last week, during that time Slater and Gordon have responded to our questions.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Here is the response from Slater and Gordon:</div><blockquote style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px 25px; padding: 5px 10px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><em>We stand by the previous public statements we have made regarding this issue".</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">So we have the law firm's current management coming in to work on a Sunday when Julia Gillard needs a positive media statement. Together with Ms Gillard they concoct a statement that protects Ms Gillard. Don't you wish they'd just told the truth? </div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Next we'll look closely at those 6 months that Slater and Gordon says Ms Gillard was campaigning for the Senate.</div></blockquote></div></div><br />
<a href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2013/03/how-did-ms-gillard-got-away-with-it-for-so-long-how-come-no-one-called-her-out-its-so-obvious.html">How did Ms Gillard get away with it for so long! How come no one called her out, it's so obvious</a><br />
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Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-34949374908157237062013-03-20T11:24:00.001+11:002013-03-20T11:24:47.972+11:00What Slater and Gordon says is a matter for Slater and Gordon (and Julia Gillard's former flatmate Julie Ligeti) - @mpsmithnews<br />
<h3 class="entry-header" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 35px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Exhibit One - Sky News Australian Agenda, Sunday, 19 August, 2012</span></h3><div class="entry-content" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 35px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 10px; position: static;"><div class="entry-body" style="clear: both;"><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Julia Gillard (coached Peter van Onselen) is interviewed by Paul Kelly. Kelly puts The AWU Scandal to Gillard, in particular the assertion reported in <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/law-firm-slater-gordon-considered-axing-julia-gillard/story-e6frg6n6-1226454530444" style="color: #005599;" target="_self">The Australian that her employers considered sacking her over her conduct</a> - the exchange starts at 12.50 into the interview.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Kelly, "is it correct that in 1995 you had to resign as a partner from Slater and Gordon as a result of their investigation into misappropriation of funds around the legal entity that you had established?"</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Gillard, "I am not going to dignify all of this scurrilous campaigning etc etc etc:"</div><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/N456VbijM4c" width="560"></iframe><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">The core question - did you resign as a partner in the law firm Slater and Gordon as a result of the AWU Scandal?</div><h3 style="font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 10px;">Exhibit Two - Slater and Gordon media statement, 20 August, 2012</h3><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Out of the blue, the publicly listed company <a href="http://www.slatergordon.com.au/media/news-media-releases/vic-act-sa-tas-nt/Statement-regarding-the-employment-of-Prime-Minister-Gillard" style="color: #005599;" target="_self">Slater and Gordon releases this media statement</a> the following morning. The statement is dated in the Slater and Gordon website as 20 August, 2012, however <a href="http://www.afr.com/p/opinion/old_ghost_is_gillard_recurring_nightmare_2rlHoGszu4xFAf9rt5ZAHK" style="color: #005599;" target="_self">the contents of the statement were available to media on Sunday, 19 August, 2012 in time for Monday morning editions of newspapers</a> - as the Financial Review put it, "Slater and Gordon promptly issued a statement...." after the Paul Kelly Australian Agenda interview.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">The Slater and Gordon statement said this:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>Upon the Slater & Gordon partnership learning of what has been described as the AWU/Bruce Wilson allegations in August 1995, it conducted an internal legal review as it would do, and has done, whenever any such allegations might be made.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>Ms Gillard co-operated fully with the internal review and denied any wrong doing.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>The review found nothing which contradicted the information provided by Ms Gillard at the time in relation to the AWU/Bruce Wilson allegations and which she has stated consistently since the allegations were first raised.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>In September 1995 Ms Gillard took a leave of absence from Slater & Gordon in order to campaign for the Senate.</em></div><h3 style="font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 10px;">Exhibit three - former partner Nick Styant Browne says Slater & Gordon statement "stunningly incomplete"</h3><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2012/s3639012.htm" style="color: #005599;" target="_self">Former Slater and Gordon partner Nick Styant-Browne appeared on the ABC's 7.30 program on 22 November, 2012.</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>In August of this year it became clear to me that after all these years this story was finally going to come out and Slater & Gordon made a public statement that Ms Gillard had been cleared of any wrongdoing, had taken a very long sabbatical, had resigned from the firm and a meeting room had been named after her. And that was on any view a stunningly incomplete account of the circumstances of her departure. And it was following that that I resolved it was in the public interest to release both non-privileged parts of the transcript of the interview of September 1995 together with Pete Gordon's statement concerning the circumstances of her departure.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">(there are further questions and Styant Browne describes the "spectrum" of views about Gillard's acts and omissions. He says Peter Gordon was prepared to give her the benefit of any doubt...)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><strong><em>I was towards the other end of the spectrum in that I was not readily prepared to give Ms Gillard the benefit of the doubt and I made that clear. There was never any real resolution of that debate in the partnership because as events transpired, Ms Gillard agreed to resign, and so it was never necessary for the partnership to resolve itself what actions should be taken.</em></strong></div><h3 style="font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 10px;">Exhibit Four - what Slater and Gordon says is a matter for Slater and Gordon - and possibly Julia Gillard's flatmate Julie Ligeti</h3><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Slater and Gordon has duties to many stakeholders to be honest and complete in its disclosures. In particular, the directors of Slater and Gordon have a duty to ensure the company makes continuous disclosure to the Australian Stock Exchange of matters that are material to its operations. The public media statement issued on Monday, 20 August was a statement of the company. In order for the company to satisfy its obligations that statement has to be a true and correct statement. Because it was issued by Slater and Gordon using Slater and Gordon shareholder assets the statement should be a statement that is necessary to meet an obligation of - or to advance the interests of - Slater and Gordon.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">The person who is responsible for Slater and Gordon's relations with Governments is Julie Ligeti.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Here is her page on LinkedIn</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><a class="asset-img-link" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017ee9904569970d-pi" style="color: #005599; display: inline;"><img alt="Julie ligetti" border="0" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a0177444b0c2e970d017ee9904569970d image-full" src="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017ee9904569970d-800wi" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; width: 550px;" title="Julie ligetti" /></a><br />
Ligeti's responsibilities include the firm's relationship and interactions with the Federal Government.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Her personal relationship with Gillard goes back to university days.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/management/our-julia/2007/05/18/1178995371860.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2" style="color: #005599;" target="_self">The following quotes are from The Age in a story dated May 18, 2007 and titled "Our Julia". </a></div><div id="contentSwap7"><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>When she was elected education vice-president of the Australian Union of Students (AUS) in 1982 she deferred her studies and moved to Melbourne, into a share house in Brunswick. Old friend Julie Ligeti was struck even then by how serious Gillard was about politics. "We were all trying to work out how we were going to buy our first car or which share house we were going to live in. Julia had this other level happening.</em></div></div><div id="contentSwap8"><em><a href="" name="contentSwap8" style="color: #005599; text-decoration: underline;"></a></em><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>She was beginning her career in politics." Personal ambition and agitation for change appeared to dovetail. "She had a clear view at a very young age that she wanted to make a mark in Labor politics. But it wasn't just about identifying her own opportunities, she was also trying to push society along," says Ligeti.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Ligetti and another female Gillard housemate Robyn McLeod appear in this grab elsewhere in the story, talking about Tim Mathieson.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>Friends say that Gillard is content. "He seems to have given her a bit of a stronger grounding," says Julie Ligeti, a mate from student politics days who is now chief of staff to Victorian Attorney-General Rob Hulls (2007). Robyn McLeod, who has been close to Gillard for 15 years, says, "They're a very grounded, sensible couple, dealing with an extraordinary time in her career." She compares the situation to a couple of years ago: "Julia wasn't in a relationship and my marriage was ending and we'd sit around talking about blokes.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>She said, 'Men, they're just net energy takers.' And we'd talk about whether we had time for them or not." She's glad Gillard has made time for Tim Mathieson. "I love seeing her so happy."</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">At the time that Gillard was planning to knife Kevin Rudd in 2010, she'd go home to Julie Ligetti at night in the flat they shared in Canberra. <a href="http://www.watoday.com.au/national/hear-her-roar-respectfully-20100702-zu6e.html" style="color: #005599;" target="_self">This article by Michelle Grattan describes Gillard's pre-Lodge domestic circumstances with a notably absent Tim Mathieson, it's dated July 2010, just weeks before she rolled Rudd.</a></div></div><div id="contentSwap8"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>While Gillard's work life is a hotbed of change, at least at a personal level she's keeping some continuity until the election, staying in her Canberra flat which she shares with her friend Julie Ligeti, chief of staff to a minister, Brendan O'Connor. </em></div><h3 style="font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 10px;">Questions for the PM and Slater & Gordon</h3><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">What discussions took place between the ASX listed company Slater and Gordon, its Government relations advisor Julie Ligeti and her former flatmate and now Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Sunday, 19 August 2012?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Did Slater and Gordon have a notifiable conflict of interest which it should have disclosed upon the issuance of its public statement of 20 August, 2012?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Did Julia Gillard have an obligation to declare her relationship with her "old friend" Julie Ligeti when Slater and Gordon issued its statement, particularly given Gillard's public position that "what Slater and Gordon says is a matter for Slater and Gordon."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">And finally, is the Slater and Gordon statement that Julia Gillard "took a leave of absence in order to campaign for the Senate" in 1995 a true statement?</div></div></div><br />
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<a href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2013/03/what-slater-and-gordon-says-is-a-matter-for-slater-and-gordon-and-julia-gillards-former-flatmate-jul.html">What Slater and Gordon says is a matter for Slater and Gordon (and Julia Gillard's former flatmate Julie Ligeti) - Michael Smith News</a>Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-87369533041755297042013-03-12T22:56:00.001+11:002013-03-12T22:56:51.298+11:00AWU SCANDAL EVENT LOG ..... WHO, WHAT, WHERE AND WHEN !<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bH6Rw5Fcus4/UK-JdLtWxbI/AAAAAAAAAZI/HUTB0wYr7Ck/s1600/AWU+SCANDAL.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bH6Rw5Fcus4/UK-JdLtWxbI/AAAAAAAAAZI/HUTB0wYr7Ck/s640/AWU+SCANDAL.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EAjtShBicQg/UK4Ybjd1TjI/AAAAAAAAAXg/PLSznmNucA4/s1600/420170_400332463365770_1039443930_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EAjtShBicQg/UK4Ybjd1TjI/AAAAAAAAAXg/PLSznmNucA4/s640/420170_400332463365770_1039443930_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><table class="wikitable" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; width: 301px;"><tbody>
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DATE</span></th><th width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">EVENT/DOCUMENT</span></th></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">1990</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.pm.gov.au/your-pm" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Julia Gillard becomes a Partner at Slater and Gordon and is in the Industrial Relations Department of law firm</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">20-08-91</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/11/the-1991-letter-from-Gillard-to-wilson-raised-in-the-parliament-today.html,%20http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/12/boulder-fund-the-fund-is-suspended.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Letter to Bruce Wilson from Julia Gillard concerning a vacancy at the AWU</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">1-05-91</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/what-julia-told-her-firm/story-e6frg6z6-1226455281078" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Julia Gillard brought her property at 36 Phillip Street, Abbotsford Vic property settled in July and she borrowed $40,000 from Slater & Gordon for the deposit and the rest from Westpac bank</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">6-03-92</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/12/the-ad-that-thiess-could-have-relied-%20on.html?cid=6a0177444b0c2e970d017c343f0157970b#comment-6a0177444b0c2e970d017c343f0157970b" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Advertisement appeared in the paper for Incorporating the Workplace Reform Association - Theiss may of used it for reference</a></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">17-03-92</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/12/the-boulder-fund-kalgoorlie-miner-articles.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Locals concerned the Accident and Death Fund was being used to buy property and office equipment with the funds they paid into the fund.</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">18-03-92</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/12/boulder-fund-the-fund-is-suspended.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Boulder fund suspended</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">15-05-92</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/12/boulder-fund-the-fund-is-suspended.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Bruce Wilson and Julia Gillard go to a meeting with the miners in Kalgoorlie</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">18-05-92</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/12/the-boulder-fund-quite-a-bit-apparently-happened-behind-the-scenes.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">AWU announce it is taking over the fund at Boulder paper article</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">13-02-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017ee4136cea970d-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Contract of sale signed by Bruce Wilson</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">13-02-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/10/the-AWU-scadal-%20more-on-the-power-of-attorney.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Purchase of 85 Kerr Street Fitzroy by Julia Gillard and B Wilson who attended the Auction</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">13-02-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/11/a-few-comments-about-the-way-that-slater-and-gordon-treated-its-client-mr-" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">blewitt-getting-his-addres.html Purchase of 85 Kerr Street Fitzroy by Julia Gillard and Bruce Wilson who attended the Auction</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">15-02-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017c32708769970b-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Letter to Slater & Gordon about the 1/85 Kerr Street sale</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">15-02-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/10/the-AWU-scandal-more-on-the-power-of-attorney.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Ralph Blewitt is appointed Western Australian Branch Secretary in the week 15 to 19 February</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">16-02-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017c326fa71d970b-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Olive Brosnan and Heidi chasing up the Power of Attorney - notes</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">17-02-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017c326faac4970b-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Olive Brosnan makes this further note regarding Heidi, a sales person with the Real Estate firm GA Thomson. Note that Heidi returns the call and says that she will let Olive Brosnan have the original Power of Attorney (when she gets it?) and will need a certified copy in return</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">22-02-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017ee4139eaa970d-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Slater and Gordon acknowledges that it has received the Contract of Sale, Section 32 Statement and the Power of Attorney from GA Thomson.</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">23-02-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017c326fc26e970b-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Olive Brosnan certifies Power of Attorney</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">3-03-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017d3cab3709970c-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">A memo from Sylvia to Olive Brosnan about the application for the loan for Ralph Blewitt and the Kerr Street property</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">4-03-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Letter/fax from Hewitt & Company stating Ralph Blewitt Wages Ref VB/CS</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">9-03-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017c33ec15fe970b-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Memo to Olive Brosnan from Sylvia about the loan approval and the return of the chq for $500 from Ralph Blewitt’s personal account</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">10-03-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Letter from Slater & Gordon addressed to Ralph Blewitt explaining mortgage details <a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017c33ec1d85970b-p" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Page 1,</a> <a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017ee58faefe970d-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Page 2,</a> <a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017ee58fb16c970d-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Page 3</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">10-03-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017c33ec2471970b-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Memo Julia Gillard wants details of penalty interest rates</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">12-03-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017d3e1aeae7970c-pi,%20http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017d3e1ae963970c-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Memo to Julia Gillard from Olive Brosnan about penalty interest rates</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">17-03-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/files/contract-and-sale-details-blewitt-kerr-street.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Memo of fees for house - Bill of costs</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">18-03-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/files/contract-and-sale-details-blewitt-kerr-street.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Letter to Ralph Blewitt requesting Cheque for $67,772.30</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">18-03-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/11/the-67000-question.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">The cheque for $67,772.30</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">22-03-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017ee58fb16c970d-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Settlement date for Kerr Street purchase</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">23-03-93</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/files/contract-and-sale-details-blewitt-kerr-street.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Land Transfer document</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">31-03-94</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017d3ed68f27970c-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Dawesville project costs</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Aug-Sept 94</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/what-julia-told-her-firm/story-e6frg6z6-1226455281078" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Julia Gillard went on holidays while Bruce Wilson organised house renovations</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Aug-Sept 94</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2013/02/what-ms-Gillard-said-in-her-record-of-interview-about-her-home-renovations-.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Interview with Slater & Gordon about the Renovations</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">6-02-95</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/11/bruce-wilsons-various-bank-accounts-mid-1995.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">New bank accounts for Construction Fund</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">17-02-95</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">AWU-FIME amalgamate (2 Victorian Branches)</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">12-04-95</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Cheque from AWU WRAI account $46,550</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">27-04-95</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017d40ee947d970c-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Cheque for $15000 - $10 000 for K Spyridis and $5000 cash</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">30-06-95</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/files/qlddelegatesjan96-1.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">AWU went back to central funding arrangements</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">25-07-95</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017d3e6df950970c-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Letter from Robert Smith (AWU) to Ian Cambridge and Steve Harrison about the unknown AWU bank accounts</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">27-07-95</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/12/wilson-gets-sprung-july-1995-more-documents.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Letter to the National Executives about the freezing of the accounts</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">2-08-95</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Union National Finance committee meet to discuss what was going on start of investigations into the frozen accounts</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">4-08-95</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/files/qlddelegatesjan96-1.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Bob Smith wrote to Ian Cambridge to say the AWU was going to charge Bruce Wilson</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">10-08-95</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/files/qlddelegatesjan96-1.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Ian Cambridge visits QC Richard Kenzie from Maurice Blackburn for discussions to fix it (get union money back)</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">14-08-95</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Internal Review into Julia Gillard’s involvement of the AWU -WRA and she is put on restricted duties</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">14/15 Aug 95</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Other Joint secretaries of the Unions paid out the signatories of the accounts - hand writing on the cheques <a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/10/1st-claim-of-paul-howes-no-members-money-the-redundancies.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Link 1</a> <a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/10/handwriting-on-the-collins-cheque.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Link 2</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">16-08-95</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/10/the-redundancy-cheques-who-signed-them-the-man-who-took-mark-lathams-%20seat.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Bruce Wilson redundancy cheque $55,204</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">17-08-95</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/12/cambridge-tries-to-stop-the-redundancy-cheques-the-letter.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Letter to stop the cheques Ian Cambridge</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">17/18 Aug 95</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">All accounts were closed bar 2 general and grants accounts and redundancies given out</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">18-08-95</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/files/wilson-gets-sprung-affidavit.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Affidavit - Bill Ludwig - Bruce Wilson get sprung</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">11-09-95</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/what-julia-told-her-firm/story-e6frg6z6-1226455281078" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Julia Gillard interviewed by Geoff Shaw, Peter Gordon and Nick Styant-Browne at Slater and Gordon - It’s recorded and she goes on leave of Absence until May 96 (WA AWU-WRA not yet discovered by AWU yet)</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">31-01-96</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/files/qlddelegatesjan96-1.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Ian Cambridge addresses AWU Qld Branch meeting</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">3-04-96</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.ipe.net.au/h_slush_questions.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Ian Cambridge talked with Commonwealth Bank - Diary entry - Discovery of Workplace Reform Association INC. WA branch</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">6-05-96</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/12/now-fast-forward-8-months-the-first-time-the-AWU-finds-out-about-the-AWU-%20wra.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Discovery of Accounts in AWU name by Ian Cambridge letter from Commonwealth Bank</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">7-05-96</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/12/now-fast-forward-8-months-the-first-time-the-AWU-finds-out-about-the-AWU-%20wra.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Fax from Com bank listing the accounts in the AWU name - for Ian Cambridge</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">1-06-96</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/12/the-australians-piece-on-joe-trio-today.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Newspaper article about Joe Trio and the AWU fraud article from sometime in 1996</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">3-06-96</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/investigations/AWU-leader-ian-cambridges-surprise-as-slush-fund-revealed/story-fng5kxvh-1226518442558" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Ian Cambridge received bank records after the discussions with the bank back in April Ian Cambridge spoke to AWU Officials in Perth and they never heard of the Workplace Reform Association Inc.</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">5-07-96</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/investigations/AWU-leader-ian-cambridges-surprise-as-slush-fund-revealed/story-fng5kxvh-1226518442558" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Diary entry Ian Cambridge - spoke to Branch Official Russell Frearson about the $400,000 going through the account</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">31-07-96</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017d3e6e3dbe970c-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Geoff Shaw Slater & Gordon General Manager gets Subpoena to supply all documents relating to purchase of 1/85 Kerr Street</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">13-08-96</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Court proceeding where Geoff Shaw is to produce the documents from the Subpeona <a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017c343f541b970b-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Link 1,</a> <a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/12/the-subpoena-to-slater-and-gordon-for-the-conveyancing-and-mortgage-%20files.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Link 2</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">6-01-97</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/12/a-memo-from-the-investigating-detective-to-his-legal-officer-ie-the-lawyer-in-%20the-fraud-squad.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Memo from Investigating Detective Dave McAlpine about the AWU fraud</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">6-02-97</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Memo to fraud squad from Theiss stating they hadn’t been defrauded<a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/12/a-memo-from-the-investigating-detective-to-his-legal-officer-ie-the-lawyer-in-%20the-fraud-squad.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Link 1,</a> <a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017d3f0a3bb4970c-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Link 2,</a> <a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017c34db5022970b-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Link 3,</a> <a class="external text" href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d017c34db5425970b-pi" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Link 4</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">17-02-98</span></td><td width="225"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/12/wa-police-considered-conspiracy-charges-against-4-persons.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #005599;">Memo fraud squad about Theiss - Ralph Blewitt said Theiss auditors required that the WRA needed to be Inc.</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></h1></div>Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com261tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-21703752754818382522013-03-10T20:11:00.001+11:002013-03-10T20:11:52.597+11:0060 Minutes Australia POLL ! Do you think Tony Abbott is a changed man?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">60 Minutes Australia POLL ! <a href="https://www.facebook.com/questions/441541669248487/" target="_blank">Do you think Tony Abbott is a changed man?</a></span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://60%20minutes%20australia%20poll%20%21%20do%20you%20think%20tony%20abbott%20is%20a%20changed%20man/?" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="304" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LAJ6b-ZjgdM/UTxNYux7SdI/AAAAAAAAB5I/63M4e-IO6bk/s640/602021_441540149248639_1834233910_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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</span> <span style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">60 Minutes Australia POLL ! </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/questions/441541669248487/" style="font-size: xx-large; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Do you think Tony Abbott is a changed man?<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/questions/441541669248487/" target="_blank">here</a> to vote or click on the picture above </span>Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-21542097444840413432013-03-03T19:47:00.001+11:002013-03-03T19:47:53.630+11:00The 18 broken promises of Rooty Hill<br />
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.701961); color: #6d6d6d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19.1875px; padding-bottom: 10px;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1209 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="242" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/Rooty%20Hill%20banner%20600px%20w.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block;" typeof="foaf:Image" width="600" /></div><div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.701961); color: #6d6d6d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19.1875px; padding-bottom: 10px;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.701961); color: #6d6d6d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19.1875px; padding-bottom: 10px;"><strong>Ten days before the last Federal Election, Julia Gillard visited Rooty Hill and spoke to the people of Western Sydney about the promises she said were “at the heart of this election campaign”.</strong></div><div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.701961); color: #6d6d6d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19.1875px; padding-bottom: 10px;"><strong>Two and a half years later, Julia Gillard is back in Western Sydney and she needs to explain how she got it so wrong!</strong></div><div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.701961); color: #6d6d6d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19.1875px; padding-bottom: 10px;"><strong>As the people of Western Sydney already know, Julia Gillard says one thing before an election and then does another thing after it. Julia Gillard needs to apologise to the people of Western Sydney for the 18 promises she made in Rooty Hill and then broke.</strong></div><div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.701961); color: #6d6d6d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19.1875px; padding-bottom: 10px;"><br />
</div><table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="8" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.701961); border-collapse: collapse; color: #6d6d6d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin-bottom: 1.4em; width: 500px;"><tbody style="border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px;">
<tr><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1211 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="42" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/1_0.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: left; margin: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top !important;" typeof="foaf:Image" width="41" /></td><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;">Julia Gillard promised to consult on climate change and instead delivered a carbon tax.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1212 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="42" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/2.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: left; margin: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top !important;" typeof="foaf:Image" width="43" /></td><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;">Julia Gillard guaranteed a budget surplus and instead delivered more huge deficits.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1213 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="42" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/3.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: left; margin: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top !important;" typeof="foaf:Image" width="42" /></td><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;">Julia Gillard promised less debt and now we have a record $160 billion in net debt.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1214 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/4.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: left; height: 47px; margin: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top !important; width: 42px;" typeof="foaf:Image" /></td><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;">Julia Gillard promised jobs and national unemployment is now 60,000 higher than when she made the speech.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1215 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/5.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: left; height: 43px; margin: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top !important; width: 42px;" typeof="foaf:Image" /></td><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;">Julia Gillard promised to cut company tax. After the election, she scrapped the tax cut.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1216 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/6.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: left; height: 43px; margin: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top !important; width: 42px;" typeof="foaf:Image" /></td><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;">Julia Gillard promised to give an early company tax cut to small business and she scrapped that tax cut too.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1217 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/7.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: left; height: 46px; margin: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top !important; width: 42px;" typeof="foaf:Image" /></td><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;">Julia Gillard promised to give $2.1 billion for a transport link in Western Sydney (the Epping to Parramatta rail link) and now won’t provide the money for transport in Sydney.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1218 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/8.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: left; height: 44px; margin: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top !important; width: 42px;" typeof="foaf:Image" /></td><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;">Julia Gillard promised to build an NBN – over two years later, hardly anyone in Western Sydney has it and no one knows when it will be finished or what it will cost.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1219 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/9.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: left; height: 41px; margin: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top !important; width: 42px;" typeof="foaf:Image" /></td><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;">Julia Gillard promised to build 2650 Trades Training Centres in Schools – and 2409 of them have not been built.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1227 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/10_0.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: left; height: 41px; margin: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top !important; width: 42px;" typeof="foaf:Image" /></td><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;">Julia Gillard promised cash rewards for schools that improve and has not yet paid a cent.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1228 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/11_0.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: left; height: 42px; margin: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top !important; width: 42px;" typeof="foaf:Image" /></td><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;">Julia Gillard promised to keep giving children in schools computers and has since walked away from the computers in schools program.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1229 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/12_0.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: left; height: 43px; margin: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top !important; width: 42px;" typeof="foaf:Image" /></td><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;">Julia Gillard promised to introduce a mining tax to help pay for a company tax cut. The mining tax and the company tax cut are now in tatters.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1230 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/13_0.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: left; height: 43px; margin: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top !important; width: 42px;" typeof="foaf:Image" /></td><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;">Julia Gillard promised to pay bonuses to good school teachers. Not a cent has yet been paid to teachers.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1231 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/14_0.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: left; height: 43px; margin: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top !important; width: 42px;" typeof="foaf:Image" /></td><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;">Julia Gillard promised an automatic tax deduction of $1000. Another broken promise.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1232 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/15_0.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: left; height: 43px; margin: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top !important; width: 42px;" typeof="foaf:Image" /></td><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;">Julia Gillard promised to ease cost of living pressures on Western Sydney households and instead introduced a carbon tax and cut the private health insurance rebate.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1233 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/16_0.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: left; height: 41px; margin: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top !important; width: 42px;" typeof="foaf:Image" /></td><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;">Julia Gillard promised more money in your superannuation and instead has taken out $8 billion in Labor super taxes.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1234 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/17.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: left; height: 41px; margin: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top !important; width: 42px;" typeof="foaf:Image" /></td><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;">Julia Gillard promised to build more GP super clinics. She’s delivered only one of the 28 promised.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1235 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/18.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: left; height: 43px; margin: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top !important; width: 42px;" typeof="foaf:Image" /></td><td style="padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top !important;">Julia Gillard said she was cutting waiting list times, but instead they have increased.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.701961); color: #6d6d6d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19.1875px; padding-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://lbr.al/arae" style="text-decoration: none;">Click here</a> to download an A4 copy of the 18 broken promises of Rooty Hill.</div><div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.701961); color: #6d6d6d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19.1875px; padding-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://lbr.al/418u" style="text-decoration: none;">Click here</a> to download an A5 copy of the 18 broken promises of Rooty Hill.</div><div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.701961); color: #6d6d6d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19.1875px; padding-bottom: 10px;"><img alt="" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1210 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="173" src="http://www.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/Rooty%20hill%20footer%20600px%20w.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block;" typeof="foaf:Image" width="600" /></div><br />
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<a href="http://www.liberal.org.au/18-broken-promises-rooty-hill">The 18 broken promises of Rooty Hill </a>Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-42996529924196325812013-03-01T19:25:00.001+11:002013-03-01T19:25:02.840+11:00AFP suspend investigation into Brough political conspiracy @mpsmithnews<br />
<h3 class="entry-header" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 35px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">You may recall that school-teacher-turned-pornographic-fiction-writer Graham Perrett MP sent a lengthy letter to the world's highest paid police commissioner Tony Negus last year.</span></h3><div class="entry-content" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 35px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 10px; position: static;"><div class="entry-body" style="clear: both;"><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hP8u70G5TPs/UTBkIOzSJwI/AAAAAAAAB4w/84g1TMk2ZEM/s1600/6a0177444b0c2e970d017d415bbbd1970c.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hP8u70G5TPs/UTBkIOzSJwI/AAAAAAAAB4w/84g1TMk2ZEM/s1600/6a0177444b0c2e970d017d415bbbd1970c.png" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">You can read the whole letter <a href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/12/did-slipper-make-sleazy-unwanted-and-inappropriate-advances-to-ashby-or-not.html" style="color: #005599;" target="_self">here</a>. And if you live in Moreton and you've got a few parcels to pick up, Graham's delivering for the community, his phone numbers are conveniently on the bottom of the letter. Stick it on the fridge.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Since then, Her Majesty's former Speaker of the House has been charged by one of Her Majesty's Constables of Police under the command of Her Majesty's Highest Paid Police Commissioner.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L0x0T0lK_oA/UTBka1RPIkI/AAAAAAAAB44/v8CmFmfOh0c/s1600/6a0177444b0c2e970d017c372c9b12970b.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L0x0T0lK_oA/UTBka1RPIkI/AAAAAAAAB44/v8CmFmfOh0c/s1600/6a0177444b0c2e970d017c372c9b12970b.png" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><br />
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">You can read each parlicularised information for an offence <a href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2013/02/the-charges-against-peter-slipper-the-actual-federal-police-statement-of-facts-.html?cid=6a0177444b0c2e970d017d4126d4d6970c" style="color: #005599;" target="_self">here</a>.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">Now the world's highest paid police commissioner has decided to take a break from looking at the Brough/Ashby conspiracy theory, as postulated by the pornographic fiction writer.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><br />
</div><h1 style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 10px;">Police suspend Brough-Slipper conspiracy probe</h1><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">From the taxpayer funded newsgathering apparatus of the ABC published <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-28/police-suspend-brough-slipper-conspiracy-probe/4545286" style="color: #005599;" target="_self">here</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">Federal MP Peter Slipper has questioned why police have suspended their investigation into whether former Howard government minister Mal Brough was involved in a conspiracy to bring him down.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">Labor MP Graham Perrett wrote to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in December, asking them to investigate allegations Mr Brough was part of a campaign to harm Mr Slipper and the Federal Government. </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">He made the request after a Federal Court judge threw out a sexual harassment case against Mr Slipper, declaring it to be an abuse of process and designed to further the political interests of Mr Brough and the Liberal National Party (LNP). </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">It emerged during the court proceedings that Mr Brough had requested extracts of Mr Slipper's diary from the staff member who ultimately filed the sexual harassment case, James Ashby. </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">Mr Ashby has sought leave to appeal against the ruling. </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">In a letter sent to Mr Perrett, AFP Commander Errol Raiser says the investigation into Mr Brough's actions has been suspended because of the ongoing legal action. </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">"The AFP is aware that an appeal has been lodged with the Federal Court to be heard on May 30, 2013," the letter states. </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">"As the facts surrounding the appeal are consistent with your referral, the AFP has suspended its evaluation of the matter until the outcome of the appeal has been finalised."</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">Mr Perrett says he is disappointed by the decision, given that the September 14 election is now less than 200 days away. </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">"It's really drifting on, and obviously in terms of investigating any trails, they will get colder and colder and staler and staler," he told ABC News Online. </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">"I'm comforted by the fact that they obviously see this as serious, but I'm troubled by the fact that they've suspended their investigation. </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">"A three-month delay is quite significant. </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">"We've got an election on September 14 where Mr Slipper's credibility and good name with his voters is significant." </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">Mr Perrett says he will be writing back to the AFP, arguing that parts of the investigation could continue despite the appeal because Mr Brough is not party to the ongoing legal action.</div><h2 style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 10px;">Concern</h2><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">In a statement to the ABC, Mr Slipper says it is clear that the AFP are taking Mr Perrett's complaint very seriously, which must be a concern for those members of the LNP who support Mr Brough.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">But he has questioned why the police investigation has been suspended, given Mr Brough is not involved in the application to appeal.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">"To my knowledge, (Mr) Brough and (former staffer Karen) Doane... are not seeking to contest the judge's adverse findings against them and thus have not sought leave of the court to challenge His Honour's findings," he said.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">"In these circumstances it is difficult to understand why the AFP has suspended/postponed (though not cancelled) its investigation of the matters raised in Mr Perrett's letter to the AFP Commissioner.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">"It will be interesting to see how long the LNP is prepared to tolerate unresolved matters concerning Mr Brough.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">"I would be very surprised if Mr Brough is still the LNP candidate at the election to be held on September 14."</div><br />
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<a href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2013/03/afp-suspend-investigation-into-brough-political-conspiracy.html">AFP suspend investigation into Brough political conspiracy</a>Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-23736255457326810052013-02-17T23:22:00.001+11:002013-02-17T23:23:26.104+11:00PM's poll pain: Abbott and Rudd more popular<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VOTING INTENTION</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2010 TO PRESENT</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PREFFERED PRIME MINISTER</td></tr>
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"SUPPORT for both Julia Gillard and her government has slumped, wiping out most of the gains made since the carbon tax was introduced last year and raising the chances that she could be replaced by Kevin Rudd.<br />
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Tony Abbott now leads Ms Gillard as preferred prime minister for the first time in seven months, but Mr Rudd declared on Sunday that he would not be drafted into the Labor leadership.<br />
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The Herald/Nielsen poll found the gap between Ms Gillard and the former prime minister has grown, with Mr Rudd favoured by 61 per cent of respondents to just 35 per cent for her."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Julia Gillard … deserted by voters.</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
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The ALP is gripped by internal tensions over the possibility, but Mr Rudd, who fuelled speculation last week with criticism of the mining tax, used a sixth high-profile TV appearance in a week to dismiss speculation.</div>
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''A couple of weeks ago I said everyone should take a cold shower,'' he told Sky News <i>Agenda</i>. ''Last Friday I said they should have an ice bath. It's time this debate was put into cryogenic storage.''</div>
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Labor's support, which had climbed into the mid-30s, has now collapsed, plunging it back towards landslide-losing territory were an election held now.</div>
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Its primary vote stands at just 30 per cent, a dip of 5 points since the last survey in December and a mere 4 points above its nadir of 26 per cent in May 2012.</div>
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Support for the Coalition rose 4 points, taking its primary vote to 47 per cent - its highest level since just after the carbon tax began in July 2012. Greens support held steady at 11 per cent.</div>
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On a two-party-preferred basis, Labor's support languishes at 45 per cent to 55 per cent for the Coalition, according to voter feedback on the direction of second preferences.</div>
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Based on preference flows from the 2010 election, the two-party split is 44/56 in favour of the Coalition - a swing towards the Coalition.</div>
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It was a bad sign for the government in an election year, the pollster John Stirton said.</div>
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''It confirms that the trend to Labor that ran from May to November last year and appeared to stall over Christmas is now heading in the opposite direction,'' he said.</div>
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Crucially, in terms of Ms Gillard's command of the Labor leadership, Mr Abbott has overtaken her in the preferred prime minister stakes with his support leaping by 9 percentage points to 49 per cent compared with Ms Gillard on 45 - down 5 points.</div>
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Labor strategists have previously pointed to her superior popularity as an important reason to retain her as leader.</div>
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The poll follows a terrible fortnight for Labor in which Mr Rudd returned prominently to the airwaves and the Treasurer, Wayne Swan, admitted his mining tax had raised almost no revenue.</div>
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Fewer than one in four voters now support the mining tax in its current form, with two thirds of voters in favour of either dumping it or making it stronger.</div>
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The national poll of 1400 voters was carried out between Thursday and Saturday.</div>
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Approval/disapproval ratings tell a similar story of woe for the embattled Prime Minister.</div>
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The snapshot of voter sentiment coincides with a Galaxy Poll published by News Limited newspapers on Sunday that showed female voters, thought to be Ms Gillard's secret weapon against Mr Abbott, were walking away, with 36 per cent indicating support for the Prime Minister.</div>
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Mr Stirton said it was possible that women may have led the charge away from Ms Gillard.</div>
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''There is some evidence that the fall in Labor's vote was greater among women than men but we will need another round of polls to confirm this,'' he said.</div>
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<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/pms-poll-pain-abbott-and-rudd-more-popular-20130217-2elb7.html">PM's poll pain: Abbott and Rudd more popular</a>:</div>
Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com66tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-49393521728750248982013-02-17T20:45:00.001+11:002013-02-17T20:45:35.472+11:00Galaxy poll shows female voters choose Tony Abbott<br />
<div class="story-intro" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Abbott family" src="http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2013/02/02/1226567/358777-abbott-family.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15.9375px; text-align: left;">Tony Abbott's family Christmas card, featuring Margie, Tony, Frances, Louise and Bridget.</span></td></tr>
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</strong></div><div style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;"><strong>FEMALE voters have rejected Julia Gillard's claim Tony Abbott is a misogynist and are preparing to elect him prime minister despite some concerns about his "negativity" and views on abortion.</strong></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">In the nation's first female-only Galaxy poll, <em>The Sunday Telegraph</em>asked women to tell us the real reasons for the gender gap on voting intentions.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">The exclusive results reveal women stand ready to end the reign of Australia's first female Prime Minister on September 14, with just one in three women - 36 per cent - preparing to vote Labor.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">But the Galaxy results also found high levels of concern among women about Mr Abbott, with 44 per cent concerned "he says no to everything" and 39 per cent concerned about his views on abortion.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">Mr Abbott, who says his position on abortion is that it should be "safe, legal and rare", has previously described abortion as an "easy way out" and a national tragedy.</div><div class="story-promo story-promo-middle" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">A majority of women also said Mr Abbott's push to campaign as a family man, surrounded by his wife Margie and three daughters, would have no influence on their vote - and nor would the fact Ms Gillard has no children.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">However, 13 per cent said they were more likely to vote for Mr Abbott because he had the life experience of marriage and raising kids, and 13 per cent were less likely to vote for Ms Gillard because she did not.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">"Female voters are supporting the Liberal Party despite concerns about Tony Abbott," Galaxy's David Briggs said. "The majority of female voters - 62 per cent - do have some concerns about Tony Abbott.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">"Among females aged 18-34 years, 46 per cent are concerned about the Opposition Leader's views on abortion."</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">The survey found 44 per cent of women firmly reject the PM's claim that Mr Abbott is a misogynist. Just 25 per cent agreed Mr Abbott was a misogynist, a figure that included 44 per cent of female Labor voters and 9 per cent of female Coalition voters.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">Women were divided over whether Ms Gillard was a good role model, with 44 per cent saying yes and 43 per cent calling her a "disappointment". A majority of women aged over 50 regard the Prime Minister as a "disappointing" role model but support for Ms Gillard is stronger among younger women, with 46 per cent backing her as "good".</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">Mr Abbott has ramped up appearances with his wife Margie and his daughters, stressing his experience with balancing a family budget.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">But the majority of female voters - 81 per cent - say his family-man status and the PM's unmarried, childless status had no bearing on their vote.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">The PM has endured political attacks over her marital status for years, with Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan once describing her as "deliberately barren" and suggesting Kevin Rudd at least knew his way around "the nappy bucket".</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">This Galaxy poll was based on a national sample of 800 female voters.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">The primary vote of 36 per cent for the PM is three points below female support for Gillard in a Galaxy poll conducted at the time of the August 2010 federal election.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">Primary support for the Coalition is 46 per cent - three points higher than females polled at the time of the last election. Assuming a flow of preferences similar to the last election, this would result in a two party preferred figure of 47 per cent for Labor and 53 per cent for the Coalition.</div><br />
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<a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/galaxy-poll-shows-female-voters-choose-tony-abbott/story-fndo4bst-1226579510972">Galaxy poll shows female voters choose Tony Abbott</a>Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-48144676282190081072013-02-07T08:14:00.001+11:002013-02-07T08:14:56.022+11:00The unfounded slurs on the Victoria Police Fraud and Extortion Squad have sinister overtones - @mpsmithnews<br />
<h3 class="entry-header" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 35px 10px; padding: 0px;"><img height="462" src="http://www.electionnow.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Gillard-Thomson-mucci-cartoon-420x0.jpg" width="640" /></h3><div class="entry-content" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 35px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 10px; position: static;"><div class="entry-body" style="clear: both;"><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">I've been troubled by the number and intensity of false allegations of misconduct and malicious behaviour made against Victoria Police by Craig Thomson and his lawyer for a few days now. It doesn't make any sense when you view it through the lens of what is logically in Craig Thomson's interests. Think about it, the coppers have the trump cards, if you were in Craig's shoes would you be out there getting stuck into them at every turn? It's not going to help in the court house, so why is it happening?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">I hope I am wrong, but I sense some disturbing, sinister portents. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Craig Thomson was investigated and charged by members of the Victoria Police Fraud and Extortion Squad.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">The Prime Minister Julia Gillard is being investigated for serious criminal offences by the same squad of police in relation to The AWU Scandal.</div></div><a href="" id="more" style="color: #005599; text-decoration: underline;"></a><div class="entry-more" style="clear: both;"><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Back to Craig. At every point of contact with the media this year, Craig Thomson and his lawyer have each made serious allegations against the Victoria Police Fraud Squad.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Thomson was arrested by the police authority with power of arrest in NSW, the NSW Police. NSW Police were responsible for executing the warrant, processing Mr Thomson, holding him, bringing him before the NSW Court and then arranging for the return of the warrant once bail conditions were set.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">So read this account of the day from Mr Thomson, who spent precisely no time in the custody of Victoria Police. The timing of the arrest was decided by NSW Police quite properly for operational reasons. Victoria Police had no operational role.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">This article from <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/craig-thomson-says-victoria-police-made-a-spectacle-of-him/story-e6frg6n6-1226570824058" style="color: #005599;" target="_self">The Australian</a> newspaper captures Mr Thomson's key messages - you can choose from dozens of other media appearances where Thomson's key messages are the same.</div><div><h2 style="font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 10px;"><strong>FORMER Labor federal MP Craig Thomson maintains Victorian police deliberately set out to make a spectacle of his arrest on fraud charges.</strong></h2></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>Mr Thomson, who now sits as an independent in Parliament, was last week arrested by NSW police executing a Victorian warrant at his electorate office at Tuggerah on the NSW central coast.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>The arrest was captured by television cameras and caused a sensation in political circles.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>NSW fraud squad chief, Detective Superintendent Colin Dyson, admitted on Monday he had erred in saying Mr Thomson had refused when asked to surrender prior to his arrest.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em><strong><span style="font-size: 14px;">''The NSW police were misled by the Victorian police,'' Mr Thomson told ABC Radio today.</span></strong></em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em> <span style="font-size: 14px;">''The truth of the matter is they could have sent a summons to my solicitor and we would have been there tomorrow in Melbourne just the same.</span></em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>''(It) was deliberately designed to create a spectacle. That's what they went out to achieve. It was unnecessary and hurtful and humiliating.''</em></div><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><div><h2 style="font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 10px;"><em>'I have done nothing wrong'</em></h2><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><em>MP Craig Thomson denies any wrongdoing as he faces charges of 150 counts of fraud.</em></div></div><div><em><span style="font-size: 14px;">Mr Thomson told Fairfax his arrest and court restrictions placed on him not to approach prostitutes were about whipping up his case.</span></em></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>''I think the condition is about sensationalising this case,'' he said, adding that he had never used a prostitute.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>When asked if the condition was a police concoction, he said: ''Absolutely.''</em></div><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><h2 style="font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 10px;"><em>Thomson arrest a circus: lawyer</em></h2><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><em>Craig Thomson's lawyer Chris McCardle slams the police and media over the handling of his client's arrest.</em></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>''What a preposterous bail condition to have there.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>''... They've picked out something that they believe will make this even more sensational and it's a ridiculous bail condition and if I'd had my wits about me a little bit more when that bail condition was put I would have objected to it.''</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>He said some of the 150 charges against him were for amounts smaller than $20 and other charges were double-ups.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>''I think the police were after a big number. The police were after the spectacular arrest in terms of this,'' he said.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>The MP said two rounds of strip searching by police was ''certainly not routine''.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>''You take off an item at a time and turn around until you have nothing on,'' he said.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>''So that was both distressing and humiliating.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>''(I feel) both angry and humiliated, which I think at least the latter was the intention of the strip search. There is no other possible explanation for it.''</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em><strong>He said he was not sure whether political interference in his case from the Coalition had played any role in events.</strong></em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>Mr Thomson has consistently denied allegations he misused member funds to pay for prostitutes, air travel, entertainment and cash withdrawals when he was national secretary of the Health Services Union (HSU).</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>Mr Thomson also said he was committed to seeing out his term in his seat of Dobell but had not made any further commitments.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>While his arrest had damaged the federal government, Mr Thomson believed Labor could win the September 14 election based on its policies.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px;"><em>Mr Thomson's wife will accompany him when he faces Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday over the 149 charges.</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">ENDS</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">I have dealt with the officers of this squad. They are dead straight policemen, interested in the law and breaches of the law. They abhor media coverage. I have never heard a single political comment from any officer of the squad.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">There were apparently sound reasons for Mr Thomson's arrest, a process that includes fingerprinting.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">I would imagine that police have evidence to lead at court from the witnesses (the escort agencies) with whom Mr Thomson has been ordered not to communicate. Both of those elements of Mr Thomson's matter are unremarkable.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">None of Mr Thomson's allegations about police actions or motivations is true. If he had any genuine observations of police misbehaviour the police internal affairs, or ethics and integrity division would be falling over themselves to investigate it. But there is no such factual complaint, just the constant, inaccurate smearing at every turn. And it is combined with the vague allusions to the involvement of the Coalition, reported faithfully without comment by much of the media.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Compare Mr Thomson's recent discovery of how badly the Victoria Police do everything, with his analysis of the behaviour of the same police traipsing through his house with a search warrant last year. Mr Thomson praised the police then for their professionalism - the date was 24 October, 2012.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">What's changed? The police behaviour? The police members on the job? No, none of those factors have changed.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">What has changed in the interim is that Julia Gillard is now a person of interest in a major union-related fraud that is being investigated by the same squad of police as investigated and charged Thomson.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">This "cheat-sheet" was leaked to me in 2011, just after my interview with Craig Thomson and one of our readers has sent me in a second copy more recently. It's a copy of the briefing to Labor members of parliament provided by the PM's media team and it provides the talking points in answer to the day's possible questions.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><span class="asset asset-generic at-xid-6a0177444b0c2e970d017ee8488133970d"><a href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/files/thomson-cheat-sheet.pdf" style="color: #005599;">Download Thomson cheat sheet</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">The Prime Minister's office <a href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2013/02/grace-collier-will-be-alan-joness-first-guest-for-2013-710am-monday-grace-tells-me-theyll-be-talking.html" style="color: #005599;" target="_self">confirmed </a>last week that the PM and her staff are aware that she is the subject of a police investigation by the Victoria Police. The Prime Minister has a large staff, including John McTernan and other spin doctors. Just a week or so ago the Prime Minister's office blocked an FOI application by Hedley Thomas for any papers prepared at taxpayer expense in the management of this growing AWU issue for the PM. The official answer from the PM's office - there are none.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">I hope the practice of releasing those 'cheat-sheet" for media comments has ceased.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">The unfounded slurs against the conduct of the Victoria Police Fraud Squad have to stop. Its investigators should be left to their jobs unhindered by false allegations. Any move on the part of any federal politician or his or her lawyer to improperly attack the motivations or operations of a state police force which is engaged in investigating the conduct of Federal parliamentarians would represent a grave danger to the heart of our system of government - and justice.</div></div></div><br />
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<a href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2013/02/the-unfounded-slurs-on-the-victoria-police-fraud-and-extortion-squad-have-sinister-overtones.html#more">The unfounded slurs on the Victoria Police Fraud and Extortion Squad have sinister overtones</a>Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-47249281664089476162013-02-07T07:54:00.001+11:002013-02-07T07:54:48.975+11:00Caucus won't dance to the PM's tune: Where no monkeys<br />
<div class="story-intro" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;"><img alt="Eric Lobbecke" src="http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2013/02/07/1226572/089386-130207-op-eric-lobbecke.gif" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;"><strong><br />
</strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;"><strong>THERE is only one way Julia Gillard can silence her many internal critics, and it will not be through lectures or intimidation.</strong></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">All she did by effectively telling them on Tuesday to stop leaking against her was put up in lights their loss of faith in her and her distrust of them.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">They will shut up when she stops making mistakes and shows she has learned from the ones she has made. Sadly, that seems unlikely so, given the perilous position many Labor MPs face, staying quiet and pretending everything is hunky-dory won't happen. It wouldn't fix the problems anyway.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">What unsettled the Labor critics so much and what has confounded the public is the stunning mismatch of words and deeds, and the promise of stability coupled with acts of shock and awe. Only an exceptional leader could conquer these contradictions; then again, an exceptional leader would not create them.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">Disagreements within the highest echelons of the government surfaced over Gillard's wisdom in declaring the election date so far out. Those who thought it was a good idea were soon in furious agreement, with the emphasis on furious, on the resignation of two senior cabinet ministers at the weekend. It was greeted near universally behind the scenes as an unmitigated disaster.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">One frustrated minister said the problem was not just that it would be seen as a sign the government was unravelling; he feared it was actually unravelling. No matter what gloss or spin accompanied their departure or the quality of their successors, it should not have been allowed to happen, particularly after Gillard's central reason for naming September 14 as election day was to provide stability and certainty.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">Another minister described it as madness and the Prime Minister herself as mad, and for many reasons, including that the Senate vacancy left by Chris Evans in Western Australia easily could have been filled by an indigenous Australian from that state, thus preventing Northern Territory Labor ripping itself apart over Nova Peris.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">A lower level of irritation for Gillard's cringing colleagues was the decision to showcase her partner Tim Mathieson. Clearly wanting to help and to show he is as much an asset as any other modern political family, Mathieson appeared prominently in shot, holding the pet dog in his arms and stroking him, as Gillard made a speech for Australia Day award nominees. A gauche performance replete with alleged joke followed soon after at the drinks for the PM's XI.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">While the two ministers are united in their assessment of their survival prospects, they remain divided about the solution, which says it all about where the government finds itself.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">One still hopes of a Rudd return to save the government, saying nothing should be ruled out; the other discounts suggestions Kevin Rudd is closer and remains glued to Gillard even if it means losing with her, as he confidently expects he will.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">Gillard's failure to discuss in even the broadest terms her election plans with her cabinet, the timing of the two resignations, and her remarks to caucus reveal the profound dysfunction now at the heart of government. At the cabinet meeting the night before Gillard's speech to the National Press Club, there was a political discussion as per usual after the formal deliberations. Sources say Gillard gave her usual spiel about the need to keep the pressure and the focus on Tony Abbott. She now refrains from mentioning the Opposition Leader's name, but she wants everyone else to keep talking about him.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">Inside the cabinet room she did not raise the election, not even in general terms, nor did anyone else, even though she had separately consulted some ministers, then warned Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott and Christine Milne, obviously all more trustworthy than those supposedly on her side.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">Gillard did consult Northern Territory MP Warren Snowdon days before booting long-term senator Trish Crossin for Peris. He objected, was ignored, then stayed quiet rather than tell his colleagues so they could help scuttle it. Now he is worried about losing his seat, especially as Labor insiders fear more damaging stories will emerge about Peris and predict it will end, as it began for her, in tears.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">The most benign construction that could be put on the timing of Nicola Roxon's and Evans's resignation was that they were a circuit-breaker to correct yet another circuit-breaker that had short-circuited, thus diverting attention from the Craig Thomson saga, which had undercut the election announcement. This theory was instantly dismissed by experienced operators from both sides, who appreciate that in politics, as in comedy, timing is everything.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">It didn't pass the sniff test. Nor did the story that the timing was designed to keep Rudd at bay. All that did was foster the belief that everything Gillard does is designed to ensure her own survival. Roxon and Evans didn't sound like rats, but they certainly looked like them and smelled like them, and that was the only sniff test that counted. And if that's offensive, sorry, but I am not sorry.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">If it is true, as the Prime Minister said, that both had signalled their intentions a year ago, they should have gone then. Or they should have left before Christmas or any time before her announcement of the election date.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">If they resisted, the Prime Minister, knowing what she knew, including her own intention to nominate the election date, should have insisted.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">Continuing in their jobs after they had decided not to hang around was selfish and indulgent. It was definitely not in the best interests of Gillard or the government. And they are supposed to be her friends.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">Labor MPs were struggling to remember other high-profile departures after the leader had called the election and could not.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">Not unless you count Bill Hayden's involuntary departure from the opposition leadership on the day Malcolm Fraser called the election that enabled the installation of Bob Hawke. Which brings us right back to Rudd and the kind of scenario that gives Gillard, half the Labor Party and all the Liberals nightmares.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">After trying to turn him into mincemeat last year, Labor ministers now want him to help them win the election by playing monkey to Gillard's organ grinder. As he said when he revived other unpleasant memories of his leadership by engaging with media outside a church, give us a break.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">Many more things will go wrong between now and September 14, not all of them for Gillard. Apart from the obvious advantages knowing the date provides the opposition, it leaves no room for errors by Abbott and his team, not on candidate selection, or on logistics or costings.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">They will have no excuse for any mistakes, which Gillard is counting on to save herself.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">However, Abbott's tonier performance, especially yesterday in parliament on closing the gap, if repeated consistently until the election, shows what he can do when he puts his heart and mind into it. That too is the stuff of nightmares for Labor.</div>Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-8624796321782869042013-02-06T18:45:00.001+11:002013-02-06T19:13:41.310+11:00Craig Thomson to face an additional five charges of fraud, told to stay away from brothels<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img alt="Craig Thomson" src="http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2013/02/06/1226571/416788-craig-thomson.jpg" /><br />
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<strong>EMBATTLED MP Craig Thomson has been warned off making contact with sex workers at several brothels he allegedly frequented from 2003 to 2007.</strong></div>
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The bail condition was set as charge sheets reveal he is facing 154 charges ranging from deception involving amounts of more than $2000, to small amounts for in-house R-rated pornographic movies on union credit cards he is alleged to have falsely represented as his own.</div>
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Mr Thomson appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court, where a further five charges were laid in relation to alleged misuse of union funds.</div>
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He was ordered to reappear for a committal mention on May 22.</div>
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The former Labor MP, now sitting as an independent, later emerged from court with his wife, Zoe Arnold to again vigorously protest his innocence.</div>
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After joking that the media pack waiting for him was more like an AFL grand final turnout, Mr Thomson, arrested on the NSW Central Coast last week, also complained that police had yet to produce a list of witnesses in the case.</div>
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“What was disappointing about today was it became clear that not only was last Thursday wrongly done by the police, but after 18 months in relation to investigating this matter they still don't even have witnesses that they are able to produce for us in terms of some of these issues that are here.</div>
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“So that's disappointing.We are trying to get on with this, get it on as quickly as we can.</div>
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“It wasn't encouraging that the police still aren't even ready after all this time, but we'll get on with it as quickly as we can to clear my name.”</div>
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In court, Mr Thomson's barrister, Bill Dwyer, argued that prosecutors should identify the witnesses his client was prohibited from contacting.</div>
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However magistrate Donna Bakos agreed to prosecutors amending bail conditions prohibiting him from contacting a “class of persons” owning or working at particular businesses, including Boardroom Escorts, Tiffany's Girls, A Touch of Class and Young Blondes.</div>
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Mr Thomson must also notify police of any trips interstate or overseas unless he is going to Canberra for parliamentary business.</div>
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In court he spoke only when asked by Ms Bakos whether he understood the varied conditions of his bail.</div>
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He stood and replied: “Yes I do your honour”.</div>
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Mr Dwyer also told Ms Bakos that claims in the warrant for arrest that Mr Thomson had been avoiding service of the summons and not making himself available to police were untrue.</div>
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“That's simply not accepted,” Mr Dwyer said. “He was always available.</div>
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“Police were well aware he was.”</div>
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Ms Bakos said the court was not concerned with his comments because it had heard no such allegation from the prosecution.</div>
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“He is here, he's answered his bail, that is all this court is concerned about,” Ms Bakos said.</div>
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Mr Dwyer said his client had had the matters hanging over his head for a long time.</div>
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“He is anxious to get these matters resolved,” he said.</div>
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Mr Thomson has repeatedly denied allegations he misused member funds to pay for prostitutes, air travel, entertainment and cash withdrawals when he was national secretary of the Health Services Union (HSU).</div>
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He said outside court he would not make any further comment given the matter was before the courts.</div>
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He joked about the size of the media scrum.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">
“You'd think it's (the) AFL grand final with all you blokes here,” he said.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">
“I'm sure you'll all be back here on the 22nd.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">
“Talk to you then.”</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">VIEW ALL 154 CHARGE SHEETS</span>: <a href="http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/files/craig-thomson-charge-sheet-and-warrant-to-arrest.pdf" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/craig-thomson-in-court-to-clear-his-name/story-e6frg6nf-1226571422867">Craig Thomson to face an additional five charges of fraud, told to stay away from brothels</a></div>
Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-17050307642736050342013-02-06T00:09:00.001+11:002013-02-06T00:09:15.442+11:00And people vote for these parasites, are they F#@KING MAD! Senior Labor figures admit to gifts from Obeid<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Eddie Obeid leaves the ICAC after giving evidence today. 5th February 2013
Photo by Dallas Kilponen" src="http://images.theage.com.au/2013/02/05/4008013/art-obeid-620x349.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; text-align: start;">Australian Labor Party powerbroker Eddie Obeid. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/handbook/allmps/DYW/upload_ref_binary/DYW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/handbook/allmps/DYW/upload_ref_binary/DYW.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">Anthony Stephen 'Tony' Burke <br />
is an Australian politician <br />
representing the Labor <br />
Party, and the current <br />
Minister for <br />
Sustainability, Environment, <br />
Water, Population and Communities.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">THREE of Labor's most senior politicians - federal Environment Minister Tony Burke, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and New South Wales Opposition Leader John Robertson - have been dragged into a corruption probe after admitting they accepted lavish ski trips from the ALP powerbroker Eddie Obeid. </div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In his final few moments in the witness box at the Independent Commission Against Corruption on Tuesday, Mr Obeid named six senior Labor figures he claimed had accepted thousands of dollars worth of hospitality from his family at a lodge in the Perisher ski resort.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr Obeid was being questioned about his generosity to former state mining minister Ian Macdonald, who is accused of providing the Obeid family confidential information about a government coal tender. Mr Macdonald was given a rent-free holiday at the Obeids' three-bedroom ski lodge, The Stables at Perisher, which costs more than $7500 a week in peak season. The Obeids also picked up Mr Macdonald's meals tab.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr Obeid denied providing such hospitality was to create obligations on behalf of other people. ''We're generous people and we like to share our generosity with our friends,'' he told the corruption inquiry.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.smh.com.au/2009/07/13/630169/conroy1-420x0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://images.smh.com.au/2009/07/13/630169/conroy1-420x0.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">Stephen Michael Conroy <br />
is an Australian <br />
politician and the <br />
current Minister for <br />
Broadband, Communications <br />
and the Digital <br />
Economy in the Gillard Ministry.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="border: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr Obeid added that he thought the federal Workplace Minister, Bill Shorten, had enjoyed a holiday on the slopes with Mr Burke. Mr Obeid was mistaken. It was not Mr Shorten, who doesn't ski, but his colleague Mr Conroy, who issued a statement saying: ''I wish to declare one stay for two days at this apartment in either 2005 or 2006.''</div><div style="border: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In a statement Mr Burke said: ''Given the media interest which has emerged today, I declare two separate stays at this accommodation in the period 2004 to 2006.'' </div><div style="border: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Both Mr Burke, who enjoyed two stays, and Mr Conroy, who had one, said the Obeid family was not present. Both ministers said that although they had accepted Mr Obeid's generosity in a personal capacity, the pair believed it was in the public interest to clarify the matter.</div><div style="border: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Federal Parliament's disclosure rules state that ''any sponsored travel or hospitality received where the value of the sponsored travel or hospitality exceeds $300'' must be declared.</div><div style="border: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr Obeid said the former NSW premier, Morris Iemma, the former NSW minister Carl Scully and the former federal minister turned lobbyist Mark Arbib had all stayed at The Stables lodge.</div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Minister_for_Climate_Change_and_the_Environment,_John_Robertson,_addressing_attendees_at_the_Local_Government_Excellence_in_the_Environment_Awards_(2).jpg/220px-Minister_for_Climate_Change_and_the_Environment,_John_Robertson,_addressing_attendees_at_the_Local_Government_Excellence_in_the_Environment_Awards_(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Minister_for_Climate_Change_and_the_Environment,_John_Robertson,_addressing_attendees_at_the_Local_Government_Excellence_in_the_Environment_Awards_(2).jpg/220px-Minister_for_Climate_Change_and_the_Environment,_John_Robertson,_addressing_attendees_at_the_Local_Government_Excellence_in_the_Environment_Awards_(2).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">John Cameron <br />
Robertson MP, <br />
an Australian politician, <br />
is the Leader of the <br />
Australian Labor Party <br />
in New South Wales <br />
and the Leader of the Opposition</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr Iemma denied the claim. Mr Scully said he stayed there twice but ''as this was from a fellow parliamentary colleague I did not at the time believe I was required to declare it in the pecuniary interest register''. </div><div style="border: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr Robertson and Mr Arbib confirmed they had accepted Mr Obeid's hospitality, but said it was before they entered Parliament. </div><div style="border: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr Robertson said his trip, with his family, occurred in 2007 when he was the head of Unions NSW. He said no politicians or members of the Obeid family were present.</div><div style="border: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The disclosure comes just days after Mr Robertson unveiled new transparency reforms to clean up Labor's image in NSW and counter the impact of the ICAC inquiry.</div><div style="border: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr Arbib, who now works as a lobbyist for James Packer's Crown Limited, said he had spent a weekend at Mr Obeid's lodge in 2004-05, when he was the general secretary of NSW Labor.</div><div style="border: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr Obeid's testimony came as a result of a two-year investigation undertaken by ICAC into an allegedly corrupt 2008 coal licence tender run by Mr Macdonald that led to windfall gains for the Obeid family of more than $75 million.</div><div style="border: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">During his second day of interrogation by counsel assisting the inquiry, Geoffrey Watson, SC, Mr Obeid was grilled about his own pecuniary interest declaration, which made no mention of the millions of dollars flowing into the Obeid family trust.</div><div style="border: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr Obeid repeatedly declared he did not know and could not explain the workings of the accounts - including how it was that payments made to his family's business partners, its staff and even to himself were channelled through his wife's loan account.</div><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.theage.com.au/national/senior-labor-figures-admit-to-gifts-from-obeid-20130205-2dwmx.html">Senior Labor figures admit to gifts from Obeid</a>Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-79278534158066553652013-02-05T19:49:00.001+11:002013-02-05T19:51:15.273+11:00A legal eagle has kindly contributed these thoughts about aiding, abetting, procuring, counselling and acting in concert in criminal enterprise: @mpsmithnews<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="line-height: 1.2;">Michael Smith:</span></h3>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Steve J has been very generous to us with his time and his expertise. In this article, Steve looks at the Criminal Code and its provisions about principal offenders and those who help them out.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Steve J said:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
These would appear to be the relevant sections of the Queensland code. <span style="font-size: 14px;">I believe WA is identical.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong style="font-size: 14px;">7 Principal offenders</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>(1) When an offence is committed, each of the following persons</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>is deemed to have taken part in committing the offence and to</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>be guilty of the offence, and may be charged with actually</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>committing it, that is to say—</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>(a) every person who actually does the act or makes the</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>omission which constitutes the offence;</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>(b) every person who does or omits to do any act for the</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>purpose of enabling or aiding another person to commit</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>the offence;</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>(c) every person who aids another person in committing the</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>offence;</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>(d) any person who counsels or procures any other person to</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>commit the offence.</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>(2) Under subsection (1)(d) the person may be charged either</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>with committing the offence or with counselling or procuring</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>its commission</strong>.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>(3) A conviction of counselling or procuring the commission of</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>an offence entails the same consequences in all respects as a</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>conviction of committing the offence.</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>(4) Any person who procures another to do or omit to do any act</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>of such a nature that, if the person had done the act or made</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>the omission, the act or omission would have constituted an</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>offence on the person’s part, is guilty of an offence of the</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>same kind, and is liable to the same punishment, as if the</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>person had done the act or made the omission; and the person</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>may be charged with doing the act or making the omission</strong>.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
An outline of the steps I see as necessary to the commission of the offence are set out in my comments under Section 8 below.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
It would appear that (1) (a) (c) and (d) cover the cases of “principal in the first degree” “principal in the second degree” and “accessory before the fact”.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
R v Saliba [1973] Qd R 142.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Para (a) covers all persons who do one or more in a series of acts which constitute the offence.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
An accessory should not be held liable for anything that they have not realised may be involved in the project agreed upon. Brennan v R (1936) 55 CLR 253.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
However deliberately refraining from making enquiries places that person in the same position as knowing the facts.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
To show Gillard aided in the commission of the offence we must show she knew what the association was to be used for, or should have made enquiries and refrained from doing so.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Some active steps must be taken by word or action.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Para (c) requires the aider to know what offence is being committed or at least what offence might be committed by the person being aided.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
An intimation of encouragement or acquiescence sufficient to constitute aiding and abetting may exist where an indication is given that some duty owed to a party affected by the proposed act is not to be performed. Re Brotherson [1957] SR (NSW) 326.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
This may have relevance to Gillards duty towards her client, the AWU.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
She had a duty to prevent the unauthorised use of the name AWU.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
She had a duty to enquire into why the Association was seeking to use that name.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
This is a strong example of where actual knowledge should be implied.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
If appropriate questions were not asked it can only be because Gillard deliberately refrained from asking them.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
The question of whether someone has counselled another to commit an offence requires a consideration of what the former has urged or advised the later to do.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
There may be more than one offence that Gillard has had a role in counselling.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
This has obvious relevance to the advice to Ralph concerning the lodgement of the application for incorporation. Given Wilsons involvement at the relevant meeting he would also be included in this.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
A person cannot counsel or procure unless they know or intend what is to be done.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Similar considerations to those outlined above would apply here.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>8 Offences committed in prosecution of common purpose</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>When 2 or more persons form a common intention to</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>prosecute an unlawful purpose in conjunction with one</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>another, and in the prosecution of such purpose an offence is</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>committed of such a nature that its commission was a</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>probable consequence of the prosecution of such purpose,</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong>each of them is deemed to have committed the offence</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
My assertion is that Wilson corruptly solicited and/or received from Theiss valuable consideration either as an inducement or reward for ensuring industrial peace or as a reward for ensuring Theiss got the contract.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
In so far as the consideration related to industrial peace this was a matter relating to the affairs of his Principal as defined, the AWU.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Both Section7 and 8 can be used in situations where the actual perpetrator is unknown.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
S 8 extends the criminal responsibility of persons who have made a concert to commit an offence.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
They are responsible not only for the concerted or willed offence, but also for such offences as are objectively the probable consequence of the prosecution of the concert.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;">Here we know who committed the offence, (Wilson).</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
We need to show a joint enterprise and what has been agreed as part of that enterprise.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
We only need to show that Gillard contemplated and foresaw that the primary offenders act was a possible incident of the planned joint enterprise. Chang Wing-Siu v R [1985]AC 168.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Not asking the obvious questions will not help her and the duty she owed to the AWU will be relevant to this and any lack of appropriate action.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
The joint enterprise consisted of putting in place the structures needed to allow Theiss to pay amounts to the benefit of Wilson and pass those amounts off as legitimate expenses relating to Workplace Reform. It also consisted of negotiating these arrangements with Theiss and the invoicing and collection of funds.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
The disbursal of the funds is not part of the offence but it may be instructive as to who was actually involved in the joint enterprise..</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Gillard helped with the structure. She may also have been involved in the disbursements.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Ralph allowed his name to be used in the setting up of the structure and assisted in the invoicing and collection.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Wilson was involved in the Theiss negotiations and assisted with the structure.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Wilson benefitted from the cash and it appears to be highly likely that Gillard did as well.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
The evidence of Ralph and Bill the builder will be relevant.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
To me the name AWU WRA has always been the key.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Gillard drafted the rules for the association to be consistent with the objects of promoting workplace reform.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
She said she understood that it was actually to be used as the “Bruce Wilson and mates re election fund”. It was to receive funds from payroll deductions and raffles.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
If this was the case why wasn’t the Association named as such.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Her justification is risible.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Therefore her real understanding of the purposes of the fund and what it was to be used for and how it was to acquire funds must have been something else.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Why disguise a re-election fund as an Association for workplace reform bearing the name AWU if there was no knowledge of the proposed source of funds.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
In the absence of an explanation for the emphasis on Workplace Reform and the use of the name AWU the only and obvious reason for the name is that which is consistent with Wilson providing a cover for the extraction of funds from Employers.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Any Solicitor should have asked questions about the proposed source of funds for the association. If she turned a blind eye this is no defence.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Her duty to the AWU required her not to acquiesce in this arrangement let alone actively facilitate it. She therefore aided it.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Her counselling was instrumental in allowing the incorporation and in the absence of some other explanation for the choice of name she must be taken to know the intended source of funds.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Her relationship with Wilson provides the motivation.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Gillard and Ralph were both involved in aiding the commission of the offence.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
Gillard was also involved in counselling it.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
It goes without saying that Wilson was a principal offender.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
It may also be possible to regard the incorporation of the AWU WRA alone as the prosecution of an unlawful purpose. It was not entitled to be incorporated. The Commissioner was provided with misleading information as to its main purpose.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
The offence of receiving secret commissions was a probable consequence of such prosecution.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
The fund was set up with the name it had to facilitate only this.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
The lengths to which Gillard went to conceal this activity demonstrates that she well understood the issues involved. </div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2013/02/a-legal-eagle-has-kindly-contributed-these-thoughts-about-aiding-abetting-procuring-counselling-and-.html">A legal eagle has kindly contributed these thoughts about aiding, abetting, procuring, counselling and acting in concert in criminal enterprise</a></div>
Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-35150389875539802222013-02-05T09:19:00.001+11:002013-02-05T09:19:17.991+11:00The Bilderberg Group Founder Reveals Secrets of the Bilderberg Group<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: white;"><img alt="wpid The Bilderberg Group 300x210 The Bilderberg Group Founder Reveals Secrets of the Bilderberg Group" height="260" src="http://www.spyghana.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/wpid-The-Bilderberg-Group-300x210.png" style="border: 2px solid rgb(118, 231, 116); margin: 2px;" title="The Bilderberg Group Founder Reveals Secrets of the Bilderberg Group" width="350" /></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">20 years after the <strong>Bilderberg Group</strong> was established, its founder <strong class="StrictlyAutoTagBold">Prince Bernhard</strong> revealed to the world the secrets of the Bilderberg Group.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Today, the Bilderberg Group is still the same shadowy and secretive organization that it was in 1954 when it was founded.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">In fact, former United States President Gerald R. Ford in 1965 revealed his thoughts about the exclusivity of the Bilderberg Group. The former president was quoted as saying “you don’t really belong to the organization, one gets an invitation from the Prince”.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">The following years after the Bilderberg Group was established, the world’s only means of understanding what the organization is all about has been derived from selectively leaked information and the odd conspirator who has willingly divulged prohibited information (such as attendance lists).</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">However, 20 years after the Bilderberg Group was founded, <strong>the founding father of the Bilderberg Group, Prince Bernhard, actually revealed to the world the inner workings of the organization to The Argus-Press on June 21 1974</strong>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">The following is a summary of what the Bilderberg Group founder <strong class="StrictlyAutoTagBold">Prince Bernhard</strong> revealed. The Prince covered a wide range of topics, including ‘what is the Bilderberg Group’, ‘the purpose of the Bilderberg Group’ and the ‘rules that govern the Bilderberg Group’.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><img alt="wpid bernhardneth 232x300 The Bilderberg Group Founder Reveals Secrets of the Bilderberg Group" height="300" src="http://www.spyghana.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/wpid-bernhardneth-232x300.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(118, 231, 116); margin: 2px;" title="Prince Bernhard, Founder of the Bilderberg Group" width="232" /></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><strong class="StrictlyAutoTagBold">Prince Bernhard</strong>, Founder of the Bilderberg Group</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">All Bilderberg Group meeting attendees are guaranteed privacy.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Reporters are never allowed to enter the hotel where Bilderberg Group meetings are held.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Participants who are caught dealing with the press, are not invited back.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Between 1954 (when it was founded) and 1974, on average 80 persons were invited to each meeting.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Up until 1974, and possibly beyond that, there was only one topic discussed at Bilderberg Group meetings. The topic was ‘prospects for the Atlantic world’.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">The main speakers at Bilderberg Group meetings get 10 minutes to deliver their speech. Other participants are limited to 5 minutes per speech.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Security at all Bilderberg Group meetings is of the up-most importance. During Bilderberg Group meetings, they are to be “practically” surrounded by police for the three-day event.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">The founder <strong class="StrictlyAutoTagBold">Prince Bernhard</strong> always tried to ensure that there was a 50% switch in representation at each Bilderberg Group meeting.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Any notes or official documentation is to be written in both American English and French.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">When it comes to voting, the votes of who voted for what are never recorded.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><strong class="StrictlyAutoTagBold">Prince Bernhard</strong>, personally requested that <strong class="StrictlyAutoTagBold">Henry Kissinger</strong> attend Bilderberg Group meetings. Also, at the 1974 meeting, <strong class="StrictlyAutoTagBold">David Rockefeller</strong> was also in attendance.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><strong class="StrictlyAutoTagBold">Prince Bernhard</strong> also expected that the ideas that emerged from Bilderberg Group meetings would influence the inner circle to which it’s participants belong.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><img alt="wpid Hotel Bilderberg Prince Bernhard 300x199 The Bilderberg Group Founder Reveals Secrets of the Bilderberg Group" height="199" src="http://www.spyghana.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/wpid-Hotel-Bilderberg-Prince-Bernhard-300x199.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(118, 231, 116); margin: 2px;" title="Hotel Bilderberg Prince Bernhard" width="300" />Birthplace of the Bilderberg Group, 1954.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">This brief, yet revealing insight into the inner workings of the Bilderberg Group highlights that there is still plenty we do not know about the organization.</span></div>
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Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-74816778207838651152013-02-05T08:23:00.001+11:002013-02-05T08:23:11.927+11:00Coalition takes economy, Labor slumps on all issues<iframe frameborder="0" height="365" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://video.theaustralian.com.au/embed/2331619753/Paul-Kelly-Poor-start-for-Gillard?player=narrow" width="330"><p><a href="http://video.theaustralian.com.au/2331619753/Paul-Kelly-Poor-start-for-Gillard">VIDEO: Paul Kelly: Poor start for Gillard</a></p></iframe><br />
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<div class="story-intro" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;"><strong>THE Gillard government has lost ground to the Coalition on the handling of every key electoral issue, with voter support for Tony Abbott's opposition surging back to the levels of the Howard government in its last three years.</strong></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">Support for Labor's handling of the economy has crashed from 34 per cent to 28 per cent, the equal lowest level since Kevin Rudd won the election in 2007. The Coalition's economic management has risen to 50 per cent, up from 46 per cent a year ago, for the first time since 2007 when the Howard government was in power.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">The Newspoll survey of voters' attitudes to important issues, conducted exclusively for The Australian last weekend, came at the same time as Labor's primary vote dropped back to 32 per cent and the Opposition Leader greatly cut back Julia Gillard's lead as preferred prime minister.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;"><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">Although unemployment remains low at 5.4 per cent, the Gillard government has lost its lead over the opposition on handling jobs. Last year Labor led the Coalition on the issue 42 per cent to 38 per cent Coalition; now Labor is on 37 per cent to the Coalition's 41 per cent.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">While interest rates remain at "emergency" lows and mortgage payments have dropped markedly, Labor has gone backwards on managing interest rates, down from 32 per cent to 28 per cent, lower than during the global financial crisis. Coalition support on handling interest rates is virtually steady on 43 per cent. The continuing low rate of official interest meant the issue dropped one place in voters' importance from third-last to second-last.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">Last week, the Prime Minister said she would conduct a "crusade" to improve education, and declared that economic management was the key to the "years ahead".</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">Labor continues to lead the Liberals on the handling of the top-ranking issues of health and education but Labor's lead has been halved in both areas. On the issue of health and Medicare, traditionally a Labor strength, Labor's support has fallen from 44 to 40 per cent in the last year and the Coalition's is steady on 36 per cent.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">On education, which Ms Gillard said last week would be a "moral crusade" that defined her prime ministership, voters downgraded Labor from 46 per cent in February last year to 41 per cent, and the Coalition lifted from 33 to 36 per cent, its highest since February 2005.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">The biggest area of change was on the handling of asylum-seekers with support for the Coalition jumping 11 percentage points to 47 per cent and Labor's going from 18 per cent to 20 per cent.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">During last year's debate over offshore processing and the opposition's blocking of the government's attempts to establish the Malaysia Solution, Liberals support was at 36 per cent, just double Labor's support; now the Coalition is regarded as more than doubly capable of handling the arrival of asylum-seekers.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">Despite Australia's success at winning a temporary seat on the UN Security Council, Labor's standing on the handling of national security fell from 31 per cent last year to 24 per cent while the Coalition rose two points to 47 per cent, its highest since June 2007.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">The ALP has also fallen back on industrial relations, with support dropping from 47 per cent a year ago to 41 per cent last weekend as Coalition support went from 34 to 36 per cent, the highest since June 2004 before John Howard introduced Work Choices.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px 40px 0px 0px;">Labor fell on the handling of climate change, dropping from 35 per cent last year to 30 per cent as the Coalition's support rose from 26 per cent to 28 per cent.</div></div><a class="lightbox" href="http://resources.news.com.au/files/2013/02/04/1226570/346361-130205-newspoll.pdf" style="background-color: white; color: #277f9c; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" type="custom705x705">GRAPHIC: Issues Newspoll</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/coalition-takes-economy-labor-slumps-on-all-issues-newspoll/story-fn59niix-1226570381219">Coalition takes economy, Labor slumps on all issues: Newspoll</a>Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-52423713633452668342013-02-04T17:15:00.001+11:002013-02-04T17:15:27.625+11:00Craig Thomson case threatens balance of power in parliament<br />
<div class="story-intro" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Craig Thomson" src="http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2013/02/02/1226567/424779-craig-thomson.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15.9375px; text-align: left;">Craig (The Crook) Thomson</span></td></tr>
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</strong></div><div style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;"><strong>CRAIG Thomson will front his accusers in a Melbourne court this week even though the Government wants him and his vote to stay in Canberra.</strong></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">And it is almost certain the Opposition will not allow a “pair” by dropping one of its MPs to account for Mr Thomson’s absence.<br />
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Mr Thomson’s office confirmed today the independent MP will not be in Parliament on Wednesday but will attend the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court for the start of hearings into 150 fraud charges related to his time as secretary of the Health Services Union.<br />
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Mr Thomson's absence could have an effect on votes in the House of Representatives.<br />
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The Government has 70 MPs in the 150-member House, excluding Labor Speaker Anna Burke. The Coalition has 71.<br />
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Votes are decided by the large cross bench of eight MPs: Greens Adam Bandt; independents Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott, Andrew Wilkie and former Speaker Peter Slipper; Katter Australia Party's Bob Katter; and West Australian National Tony Crook.</div><div class="story-promo story-promo-middle" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></div><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;">Mr Windsor, Mr Oakeshott and Mr Bandt are likely to support the Government in a confidence motion but they and the other cross bench members are able to vote against Government legislation.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;">Support from Mr Katter and Mr Crook effectively gives the Opposition 73 votes, which means the Government needs four votes for its Bills to survive.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;">The absence of Mr Thomson on Wednesday could make it harder for the Government to protect its Bills.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;">Mr Thomson had a rare victory today when the NSW Police confirmed he had not been given the option of surrendering to them on a Victorian warrant last week. Instead, on Thursday he was dramatically arrested by five officers and taken to a watchhouse where he was strip searched.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;">After the arrest Detective Superintendent Col Dyson said Mr Thomson had been invited to surrender himself before Christmas but had declined.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;">In fact, he had been asked to come to Melbourne to be interviewed by police and had rejected that request.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;">Today Mr Dyson said in a statement, "The arrest warrant indicated that Mr Thomson was invited to Victoria to be interviewed.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;">"It additionally indicated that the arrest warrant was issued on the grounds that he was avoiding the service of the summons. I concede the word 'summons' and not 'arrest' should have been used when I referred to the wording on the warrant.''</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;">Mr Thomson's lawyer, Chris McArdle, said his client's case might have been injured by the original police comments.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;">"There's this great steamroller of opinion in the public mind that this fellow must have done something - 'You wouldn't charge him with 150 things if he hadn't done anything, would you?' seems to be the rhetorical comeback," Mr McArdle told the ABC.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px;">"Well, it's simply cemented the fact that this fellow's some sort of fugitive, which he is not. He's the most available human being in the country.''</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/thomson-vote/story-fncynjr2-1226570071660">Craig Thomson case threatens balance of power in parliament</a>Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2774778435103037936.post-41021434058173695352013-02-04T17:08:00.001+11:002013-02-04T17:08:09.326+11:00Just lock her up !... PLEASE....Gillard accuses own MPs of trying to destroy her<br />
<div class="story-intro" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Gillard" src="http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2012/11/27/1226523/245285-gillard.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="caption-text" style="color: #333333; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15.9375px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">Julia Gillard has accused her own MPs of trying to destroy her Government from within as she addressed a shattered caucus.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15.9375px; text-align: left;"></span><span class="image-source" style="color: #333333; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15.9375px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><em>Source:</em> Supplied</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;"><strong style="line-height: 1.45em;">JULIA Gillard has accused her own MPs of trying to destroy her Government from within as she addressed a shattered caucus ahead of the resumption of Parliament tomorrow.</strong></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">A source inside the caucus told <em>The Daily Telegraph</em> that the PM said she was aware that MPs had been leaking to journalists with the intention of backgrounding against the Government. Backgrounding is where politicians provide sensitive information to journalists under the assumption they will not be named.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">In a clear sign that Ms Gillard and her backers are concerned about another challenge being mounted against her leadership, the PM said that marginal seat MPs would be the only ones to suffer from the continuous leaking.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">While talk of Kevin Rudd has been revived following today’s disastrous poll results, the former PM was a noticeable absence from the meeting. Mr Rudd was said to be unwell.</div><div class="story-promo story-promo-middle" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.890625px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">The caucus met at 2pm today in Parliament.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">Ms Gillard then claimed that the source for her claim of backgrounding MPs was a journalist.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 455px; padding: 0px;">The caucus also elected Communications Minister Stephen Conroy as the new Senate leader to replace Chris Evans, who rocked the Government on Friday night when he stepped down from Cabinet, along with Attorney General Nicola Roxon.</div><br />
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<a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/pm-accuses-mps-of-trying-to-destroy-govt/story-fncynjr2-1226570172009">Gillard accuses own MPs of trying to destroy her</a>Vital News Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548131121622349605noreply@blogger.com5